Seeking the future
by xRaianx
Summary: Sequel to 'Seeking power'. After seeing a glimpse of their future, Inuyasha and the gang will do anything to obtain it... even go against man and gods... who knew life could be so complicated.
1. The first six months

_**Don't own Inuyasha... cries .o.o.**_

_"talking"_

_'thinking'_

* * *

"Shippo, how many times do I have to tell you before it gets through your thick skull that you're too young to help!"

"I'm not too young Inuyasha; I helped build Miroku's hut... what's the difference!"

"The difference is Keade doesn't need her roof caving in during a rain storm."

"That wasn't my fault... Kagome!"

"Inuyasha... sit!"

"Ahh!"

_'Thump!'_

"Inuyasha, let Shippo help, give him something easy to do," Kagome was sitting with Keade and Sango around small fire in front of the elderly priestess' semi built hut. The day before a small bear demon had stumbled into the village looking for food, luckily no one was hurt and only a few huts obtained some damage... Keade's being the worst. Inuyasha and Miroku had spent the better part of the morning rebuilding it but with Kagome's command to her mate, who happened to be on the roof putting the last few nails in, all the work was wasted when Inuyasha came crashing through it bringing the four walls down as well.

"Kagome why did you do that?" Inuyasha whined in more misery of embarrassment rather than pain that she still used that blasted command on him.

"Truly lady Kagome, it was not the correct time to reprimand Inuyasha... could you not have waited until after he was off the roof?" Miroku had grown tired of Kagome's over use of the subjugating word over these last few months, most of the time his demon friend did not deserve the punishment and Miroku thought his wife was merely enjoying the power she had over him... not to mention it was hindering their work. It was true that while on their journey hunting for Naraku the half demon was a tad bit rough with how he spoke and acted towards others, but now that things were peaceful and the demon hunting group had settled down in the village... that command was no longer needed.

"No Miroku, I believe I got my point across, Inuyasha is always commenting about how Shippo needed to grow up and now when he has that chance and wants to help he refuses to let him," Kagome was highly displeased with how her husband was behaving with the younger boy.

"Um... I believe you have missed my point entirely Kagome. With what just occurred it will take another day or two to complete lady Keade's home," Miroku glared at the back of Kagome's head not at all wishing to spend all that time on the task that was about an hour away from being finished now.

"Well there won't be a problem with that Miroku, lady Keade will remain at our hut until it is done," Sango chirped up on Kagome's side to this argument not liking how her husband was speaking to her little sister. Both Keade and Shippo could sense the tension between the two young couples which had been going on for the past couple of weeks... well let's say months instead; you see we must go back six months ago before this day to fully understand how this came about.

**Six months before...**

A few days after Kagome came back to live in the feudal era permanently, the village was once again in an uproar like it was when setting up for the celebration of Naraku's defeat, only this time it was to honor the two new families that would be living in the village.

Miroku, now not having to worry about death breathing down his neck was eager to take Sango as his wife and start a family; he asked her one more time to be his wife and when again she said yes he went to the village headman to gain his approval. Hisashi was pleased to hear of the union between the two and quickly approved, he too was eager for them to settle down, with a demon slayer living in the town it would only be natural that many of the young men would wish to pull away from the farmer's life and want to train to become warriors farther ensuring the village's safety.

Miroku too would be of great value to the village's protection because though he would be married he would still be able to use sutra and had already begun to help Keade at the shine; though he was a Buddhist monk it wasn't hard to follow the Shinto traditions and having both the kami and Buddha at their aid wouldn't hurt.

The group remained living at Keade's hut until the boys started building their own. It surprised everyone how fast Inuyasha was able to construct his, for a man dense about some things he must have been a carpenter in another life. And with his demonic heritage he didn't need the other village men helping him, he picked the trees that would have the best lumber, cut them with Tetsusaiga and broke them farther down with his claws, brought them to the spot of land he would build on and since he needed little sleep he had the place done in a week. It was a simple hut, only instead of one room that would serve as everything from the kitchen to the bedroom, Inuyasha added two extra rooms to the back; one would be the bedroom he would share with Kagome and the other would be storage for the time now.

And with his done he was able to help Miroku with his; however, when Inuyasha warned the monk not to allow the young fox kit to help with anything he was ignored. Luckily it rained the day before the couple was to move in because the added weight on the roof caused it to cave in, which meant Miroku and Inuyasha were out in the cold trying to fix the damage while Shippo was tucked warmly in Keade's hut with the girls.

The boys were able to complete their work before winter came upon the land and after Keade gave the couple a marital blessing the two were practically hibernating all winter in their home. Miroku would appear to help Keade care for the shrine or he would be out of the village on slaying missions but that was really all that was seen of them during the colder months.

Miroku knew he would need some sort of job to support the large family he wanted and being a temple monk didn't pay at all so he needed to fine something else. This something else came a few days after the first snow of the season, a messenger from a neighboring village was sent in search of the demon slayer that resided in the village near Inuyasha's forest... apparently several weasel demon who didn't like the cold decided to invade their village, the people were hoping Sango would agree to help them. Miroku wasn't too keen on the idea of her going alone and so he went in her place. Sango was upset at first but couldn't go against her husband's wish, later she realized that it would have to be this way once she became pregnant and just excepted it; her new role in life was wife and mother... but that didn't mean she still didn't practice with Hiraikotsu every day.

And that was how Miroku came upon his new job, every few days he would head out to exterminate a demon or two terrorizing a nearby village; and with his old scamming ways that would get the group the best housing in the town on their travels, it was easy for him to make a situation sound far worse than it actually was so he could raise the payment to an amount he liked and would make his family's lives a lot easier.

When spring finally broke through the snow was when the trouble started, Sango had finally gotten into a routine of being a wife. It was far harder than anyone would think, Sango being a demon slayer for most of her life and it gave her many of the same privileges and respect that men received. To just strip all these rights away by a simple blessing and becoming Miroku's wife didn't sit well with her, but Sango knew fighting what was inevitable was useless so she quickly tried to learn what the other young wives in the village did. Luckily being the only woman slayer among her father's group she was in charge of repairing their armor and traveling attire so she was quite skilled with a needle and thread. Cooking wasn't one of her favorite things to do however, when on the road and traveling with Inuyasha's group they either lived off of cooked meat Inuyasha caught or the food Kagome brought with her. Kagome was more of a cook than she and the young girl was giving her lessons in exchange for teaching her how to make clothes.

Around what would have been late February, early March the ex-slayer had known something was off with her body; she had become very tired and quick tempered with everyone that spoke to her. Kagome had voice her concerned one day when her friend became ill while she was teaching her how to make an omelet; Sango was fearful of what was wrong with her so she refused to get help. Kagome pleaded with her to see Keade and when Sango finally snapped and hollered at her best friend was when she realized there was something really wrong with her.

"Kagome... what if it's something bad... what if I'm really sick?"

"I don't think it's anything to worry about Sango... in fact I have a feeling it will be a thing to celebrate; I'll come with you to visit Keade if you wish."

So the next day when Miroku was out of the village and with her sister at her side, both young girls went to visit their grandmotherly figure to find out what was troubling Sango... and it wasn't something she was expecting.

"What?... But how could it be possible, how could it have happen so quickly?" Sango sat stunned on the floor in Keade's hut, her kimono was partly open do to the fact that the miko had just finished examining her for illness.

"It does not take much time together child, and I am most certain in my findings, you have all the signs as all the other women that have come to me with this type of illness."

Kagome was practically jumping off the walls in excitement over the news, "Oh Sango-chan isn't this exciting! Having a baby is a great experience... or so most of the women have said," she was trying to see the bright side to this situation since her friend still seemed upset.

"I know it's an honor to give Miroku a child, and at one time I thought it might never happen and I know he will be very pleased with the news, but... I was just hoping to have a little more time with just the two of us."

"Well... that can still happen, when the baby is born and you want some time to just be a wife I can always watch it for a few hours, and just think about it maybe we can be having children together," Kagome giggled at the idea of the two of them pregnant at the same time and torturing their husbands. She knew she wasn't pregnant right at this moment but she already knew she would have children so she wasn't really concerned... she was hoping to be pregnant by the end of this year. Her friend's comforting words eased Sango's troubled thoughts and allowed her to be excited about the little one growing inside her.

The next few days the girls were at Sango's making preparations for the baby. Sango had many types of cloth on the floor while she and Kagome where busy making clothes for the child when Miroku finally came home. He was surprised to see the mess all over the normally clean floor with both girls in the center of it all; he became suspicious when he saw that creepy smile Kagome got her face when she knew a secret that you didn't, and his wife had her gaze directed at the floor a light blush was coating her cheeks.

"Lady Kagome... always a pleasure to have you over, but is something going on?" Now Kagome looked like she was going to pop with the news but remained quiet, Sango had a death grip on the fabric she was holding and now he was becoming nervous; however, she remained tight lipped as well... Miroku wanted to get to the bottom of this. "Kagome, may I speak to Sango alone?"

"Um... well."

Seeing her hesitation and unsure if she should leave her friend, Miroku pulled out his trump card, "I'm quite sure I spotted Inuyasha on my way home... he may be waiting for you." Seeing her eyes brighten at the mention of her husband Miroku knew she would leave them alone. Once she was gone he replaced where Kagome was sitting himself to be close to his wife. "Sango my love... is something wrong? Please tell me if there is."

"No, nothing is terribly wrong Miroku... it's just you know I haven't been feeling well for the last few weeks and so I went to lady Keade..."

"And what did she say Sango?" Miroku was worried for a split second before he saw the small smile on her face.

"Miroku... I'm with child."

Hearing this glorious news caused for celebration, Miroku wanted the whole village to know that his wife carried his child; however, Sango was able to talk him out of climbing up to the watch tower and shouting it across the land. No instead they decided to celebrate with their friends... which ended up with Miroku challenging Inuyasha to a drinking contest, the sake came out and Miroku passed out long before Inuyasha was even buzzed. Kagome and Sango were talking about things for the baby and Shippo was just excited about the new arrival.

**Present day...**

A few days after the small party was when the bear attacked and destroyed Keade's hut, and now while the boys where trying to fix it Sango has been running back and forth to the bushes because of her upset stomach; Kagome had explained that her body was adjusting to the baby and it would go away after a few more weeks. Sango wanted it to end now, she couldn't eat or even be near food because she always felt nauseas, and she was continuously throwing up... not to mention her body ached all over, and it was all because Miroku and his obsession with wanting children.

"Yes of course dear... it is always a pleasure to have lady Keade at our home," Miroku knew not to go against Sango when she was in a mood, it seemed like she was in one every other day but he couldn't complain because it wasn't going to get any better; it might upset her and this might be the only child he will ever have.

"Keh, that won't be necessary monk... as long as Kagome doesn't sit me anymore today I can get the walls back up and fix the roof in an hour or so," Inuyasha finally recovered from the sit and had pulled himself free from his entrapment under the wood. He shot a dry glare over to his mate while brushing dirt from his haori.

Kagome wasn't fazed by his glare and just ignored him, "If you let Shippo help like he wants then we won't have a problem."

"Woman... he will only get in the way, you want Keade to have a livable home again right? Besides he's not even interested anymore," Inuyasha pointed a clawed finger in the direction Shippo had run off too, he was currently playing high and seek with the other village children.

Kagome blushed in embarrassment that her point was now moot but she wasn't going to let her husband win. "Well he is still a child and his mind easily wonders, if you just help him a little bit I'm sure he would have been more interested yet you yell at him all the time."

"What! I yell at-."

"Inuyasha I don't think it wise right at this moment," Miroku avidly shook his hands at the dog demon, knowing he was walking into a wolves den if he began to argue with his wife; Inuyasha needed to learn that yes in their world the husband was the ruler and it was nearly the same among the demon clans... but their wives were different. Neither Sango nor Kagome were fearful of them, as they shouldn't be, but they wouldn't be kneeling at their feet either; no the girls would fight them and they would win so it was better not to fight at all.

* * *

**Six months ago... **

Like Sango and Miroku, a lot has happened to our favorite couple. Inuyasha was never one to want a public display, being hated his whole life for what he was he was always fearful of what others would think. And for a half demon to own anything was rarely heard of, that was why when he acquired Tetsusaiga he was very protective of it... and when Kagome became his in the future his attention was solely on her.

When Sango and Miroku had decided to marry and went to Hisashi to ask for his approval to have a home in the village Inuyasha too had wished to ask as well for himself and Kagome. To him it didn't really matter where he lived, he had spent most of his life out in the forest; spending a few nights in Keade's hut was the closet he's ever had to a home. He desperately wanted to settle down and start his family with Kagome, but he wouldn't raise his pups out in the woods, if he needed to build a suitable home in his forest he would... it technically was his land.

But he knew it would hurt Kagome to be so far away from her friends, and he also didn't want rumors to spread from the villagers that still didn't approve of them being together. Even though Inuyasha has saved the village countless times and has shown no ill-will towards any of the villagers, many of the older ones still didn't trust that he wouldn't one day decided to attack again like he did fifty years before.

Much like Keade, the older villagers were alive when Inuyasha came into the village seeking the jewel, they were also present for Kikyo's funeral and they still resented him for that; they believed it was starting all over again with Kagome. Inuyasha was furious at those whispers, what he had with Kagome wasn't like what happened with Kikyo and he would never think it that Kagome would ever betray him... and he would never hurt her.

"Is there a reason you're outside of my home boy?"

Inuyasha had been caught off guard by the elder headman, Hisashi had just finished talking with the demon slayer and monk about living in the village and now the half demon who was the leader of their group was standing on the outskirts of his property. A gentle smile came to the old man's face at seeing the younger man blush and began to stumble over himself. "Feh... I was looking for the monk and heard he was here for some reason," Inuyasha quickly composed himself and made it seem like he wasn't that interested to begin with.

"Yes Miroku-san was here a short time ago with his bride seeking my permission to build a hut in the village... it will be great relief to know we will have such strong protectors living here; I'm certain a lot of the village will be able to rest easier at night," Hisashi couldn't stop the smile from spreading at the boy's attempt to be unfazed by the praise his friend was receiving.

"Keh... and I guess you approved of his proposal then," Inuyasha turned away from the man not wanting him to see how hurt he really was by this.

The headman was no spring chicken and could already see how this topic was effecting the boy, when he first set eyes on Inuyasha and approached, he could see the longing for a home and acceptance in the golden eyed youth; however, Hisashi knew the boy was very stubborn and so waiting for him to ask what he wanted wasn't happening.

Inuyasha and the old man remained silent for a little while, both enjoying the fall weather and watching the leaves on the trees and their vast array of colors. A few minutes later, and still nowhere on the topic both wanted to talk about, Hisashi decided to speak up, "As the leader of the village I must think of my peoples' safety above anything else... as I'm sure you understand as the leader of your group."

"Feh... I get it old man, the villagers are upset that I'm hanging around and want me gone. They also ain't happy that I plan on taking Kagome as my wife." Inuyasha couldn't bring himself to look at the older man; he didn't want to see the confirmation and hatred in his stare.

But if he did look he would have only seen the confusion on the man's face. "I must be honest boy... I have no clue what you're talking about. I don't listen to idol gossip around the village, what I had been leading up to was that I wished for you to also settle down in the village with Kagome-sama; I personally would feel safer knowing you were protecting us all."

"You would want a half demon in your-."

"I don't see a half demon standing before me, I see a man taking his responsibilities to heart and standing before the head of the village asking to raise his family here; a demon, a cruel hearted one, would not be so honorable... I am quite proud of you my boy," Hisashi chuckled seeing how red faced the boy was, he never has seen such emotion come from the normally grumpy half demon that followed the strange miko around.

Inuyasha was too shocked for words at what he heard; he merely grunted his thanks and took off into the forest to think this over. When he got over the internal shock of the situation he immediately went to Kagome to ask if she was ready to live together and be fully his. Kagome had blushed at first because she had been sitting with Shippo and Rin at the time, now she would have to come up with a reasonable explanation to give the children about this situation later.

Though they were technically married already by her grandfather's blessing in the future they needed some sort of ceremony in this time period; however, before that could happen Inuyasha would have to build them a hut to live in... the couple could not live with Keade forever. Kagome quickly agreed to his proposal and shooed him away so she could distract the children before they started to ask questions she would be too embarrassed to answer.

So with her approval Inuyasha had set out to build their hut, he had all the supplies he needed were either on his person or out in his forest. He chose several strong trees and spent half a day cutting and chopping them into boards for the walls; he split the giant pile into two smaller ones and gave one to Miroku for his place. Being the half demon he was gave Inuyasha an extra bought of energy he to slay countless demons, but since there weren't really many demons in the area since Naraku's death he had to use the energy somehow. He put his entire focus on finishing his hut quickly, not needing a lot of sleep or food allowed him to complete the task in a week where if he were a normal human male it would take him much longer and probably he would have needed help.

But thankfully he wasn't and he was even nice enough to help Miroku finish his... and then help rebuild it after it collapsed in a rain storm thanks to Shippo. _'I told him not to let the runt help... did he listen no, I'm just a stupid half demon that doesn't know anything.'_

After the monk's hut was rebuilt both he and the demon slayer got married, the whole village was in attendance and it made Inuyasha uncomfortable. Kagome could see how the crowd was affecting her mate and knew their ceremony would have to be different. Yes she promise her family she would have a proper ceremony when she returned here, she knew Inuyasha didn't like crowds and was an all around shy person. And she herself wasn't stupid, she could hear the whispers from the villagers and their displeasure of them marrying... she didn't want an uproar with a big public ceremony.

"What... Kagome are you sure about this, is this what you really want?" Inuyasha and Kagome had gone to Keade to ask her to marry them a few days after their friends were; however, both demon and priestess were shocked by the young girl's request.

"Child, ye should think carefully about this, marriages are a celebration of the whole village... marrying in secret would be as if you had something to hide."

Kagome saw Inuyasha's ears droop at Keade's words, was she really ashamed of mating him that she didn't want a public ceremony in front of the villagers. Hope came back to him when she placed her hands in his, "No I don't have anything to hide, but I know how some of the villagers will respond to a public blessing between us; I don't want an uproar to start because of it. I just want a small ceremony at the Goshinboku... the place where we first met. Besides I know Inuyasha isn't too particular about crowds... so I figured this would be best." Kagome smiled and reached over to rub the closest dog ear she could reach. Keade understood the reasoning and agreed to Kagome's wish, and two nights later Kagome became Inuyasha's wife in both a human blessing and demon mating.

The next morning was quite the shocker when Kagome awoke and came face to face with her husband. Inuyasha had been sleeping peacefully after a wonderful night with his new bride, Kagome had excepted him in every way possible and became his mate; he was quite content to lay around that morning and possibly have a repeat of last night's activities. But to have his blushing bride practically scream bloody murder in his ear was not the way he wanted to wake up that morning.

"Wah... what, Kagome what's wrong! Damn woman why you screaming, are you trying to make me go deaf!" Inuyasha shot up in the bed and quickly scanned the room for any sign of danger or a reason for her to be yelling so early in the morning. Of course when nothing alerted his senses and most of the village was still asleep he immediately demanded to know the cause of her waking him. He turned and was surprised to find his woman on the far end of their futon when he clearly remembered her pressed up against his side the night before.

Kagome's hair was a mess, she clutched the bed sheet to her chest to cover herself from view, Inuyasha first thought that she didn't remember what happened the night before, that she had been scared waking up next to him naked with no memory. He didn't want to think that possible and it hurt that his mate didn't recognize his claim; his mark was clearly visible and shown proudly at the base of her neck, could it be that her body recognized him and it was just her mind that didn't?

"Mate? Ka-Kagome... are you okay?" She didn't answer but her eyes weren't frantically darting around the room that was a good sign that she seemed to remember; in fact her eyes were solely trained on him, like she was looking at him for the first time. Before he could speak again she suddenly slid across the bed and reached out to cup his cheek in her palm, a very intense yet confused stare on her face. "Um... Kagome?"

"You've changed..." Her voice was barely above a whisper but he could still hear it.

"What? What are you talking about woman, I haven't changed... I don't feel any different."

She pulled away, which he whimpered at the loss of her touch, and turned away from him; he was a little hurt by the action but then his eyes locked on to her flawless back and trailed down to her shapely hips that he remembered gently caressing last night. _'What the hell is wrong with you! You've only had her for one night and already you're as perverted as Miroku has been his whole life!'_

Inuyasha vigorously shook his head to get the perverted thoughts out of his mind before he became too uncomfortable sitting naked on the futon with his mate so close; he tried to focus more on what his woman was talking about. When he finally refocused he came face to face with a small compact mirror Kagome had packed into her bag before leaving the future; that must have been the reason she turned away from him.

"Look... your demon markings are showing and they're on your wrists too... but your eyes aren't red like what normally happens."

Inuyasha took the mirror to examine himself more closely and was surprised to see that what she said was true, his father's blood line blazed across his cheeks in those purple jagged marks; he had never seen them before on his person and didn't really understand why they appeared.

"Oh my god!" Inuyasha turned back to his mate hearing her shocked gasp, his stomach dropped seeing the excitement on her face as she seemed ready to jump him for some reason; he kind of wanted to know why she was looking at him that way but then there was a part of him that screamed grab your pants and run. But before he could decide what to do Kagome did pounce on him causing him to fall back to brace himself on his elbows with her extra weight lying on top of him. "They're bigger!"

"What?" Kagome being vague wasn't a good thing, "They're bigger as in is that a good thing or a bad thing... and what are they?" Kagome smiled and reached over his head and out of his line of vision, _'What's she doing? The only things that could be up there are... oh kami!'_ His little mate made contact with one of his ears and began to rub it, a pleasurable tingling creped down the base of his spine at the sensation and he had to fight to keep his eyes from rolling back into his head. "Kagome..."

"It's a very good thing Inuyasha... but I wonder what caused this transformation and if it'll stay; you look like a full demon."

"Keh... I don't feel different, I guess I'll have to find Myoga and see what he knows." Inuyasha idly scraped his claws against his mate's bare back, causing goose bumps to rise on her skin.

After the initial shock of that morning, the new couple would have to wait two more days for Inuyasha's retainer to show his face in the village; and of course his bluntness was not appreciated when after he bite into his master's neck and announced that he had successfully completed the mating ritual with Kagome. Inuyasha squished the flea into his palm and then ran off into the woods, leaving Kagome to answer questions.

"I'd appreciate it you'd not blurt out that I had mated with Kagome to the whole damn world!"

"I apologize master but I am just so excited that the two of you are now together... I always knew that you would be; I look forward to young Inu's return as well."

"The pup... whoa wait a minute we just mated two nights ago, we ain't ready for him yet; besides I need to find out what's wrong with me first!"

"Something is wrong with you master? You seem in perfect health to me," Myoga scanned the larger demon but couldn't find any outer difference with the boy.

"I feel fine Myoga I don't feel any different but explain these!" Inuyasha pointed to his cheeks were his demon marks were visible.

"Oh those... well um many things could have caused them to emerge... have you lost Tetsusaiga recently?"

"It's at my hip flea... and this happened right after Kagome and I mated."

"Oh well you should have said that then, your demon is now at peace with your human blood since taking a mate you both desired; it also realized that it would be needed more to protect Kagome and so it has taken over your body in a sense but not in the blood lust sort of way; it is allowing itself to be used fully to care for Kagome... while still allowing you to retain your sanity. In a sense you're a full blooded demon now."

"Full demon." The one thing Inuyasha craved since after his mother had died and before he met Kagome was now his, and it was all thanks to Kagome. A full demon yet still himself, he keeps his human emotions yet is more powerful than before, he couldn't wait to tell the others.

That first month of Kagome living in the feudal era was pretty eventful with her husband transforming, the villagers who weren't happy with Inuyasha being a half demon were only farther upset finding out he was now a full demon because that meant he would breed more half demon children. Many also snubbed their noses at the fact that Kagome had become his wife, with their secret marriage many of the older villagers thought Inuyasha just took her to his bed like the animal that he was... and Kagome allowed him to. Many different rumors began and although Inuyasha wanted to stop them his mate told him to let them be because eventually they would find something else to talk about; that came in the form of Sango's pregnancy in the spring.

When winter came and their friends were either in their hut or Miroku was out slaying demon, Inuyasha would help the monk if the job required two people, or Sango was giving Kagome sewing lessons and Kagome was teaching her how to cook... during most of this time Inuyasha could be found in his forest cleaning it out of every demon that may present a threat to the village he was protecting, or he was hunting to feed his wife and himself during these cold months.

And it happened that on one of these many hunting days Inuyasha got an unexpected visitor. He had just finished catching a few fish from a small part of the river that hadn't frozen over yet and now he was trying to trap a couple of rabbits... but the hares were harder to catch than he thought. "Damn little things..."

"And here I thought you were supposed to be a hunter... do you not understand the point of camouflage little brother?"

Inuyasha whipped around seeing Sesshomaru standing a few feet away, _'Damn I didn't even smell him... the snow isn't helping much either and that it's hard to spot him in all of it.'_ "What are you want Sesshomaru? Rin's in the village in Keade's hut if you're searching for her," the younger demon thought that was the reason his brother was out in the snow.

Inuyasha got a rude awakening when he and Kagome returned to Keade's village after saying farewell to her family; it turns out during their week long absence the demon lord made the decision to leave his ward in the village. Sesshomaru felt it best that she grow up among others of the same species, and the elderly priestess agreed to care for the child in exchange for Sesshomaru's protection upon the village. Inuyasha found out that it was his job to protect the child; if any harm were to come to the child it would be Inuyasha's head. He was pissed he was being handed another charge to look after but Kagome had settled him down enough to except the duty.

"I am not here for Rin; your servant has informed this Sesshomaru of you taking your wench as your mate."

"Yeah what of it? I know that doesn't interest you."

"You are correct it does not; however, I am curious as to how a mating with a human could trigger our father's blood inside of you to allow you to become a full demon like myself."

"Keh... yeah well I don't know either so don't be blaming me for it." Inuyasha turned away from his brother not feeling like listening to him at the moment, the snow was already up to ankles and he wished to return to the village before he froze to death.

"I am not here to fight you."

"Feh, that's a first my whole life that's all you've wanted to do... the taint of our father's blood remember?"

"I will not retract my words nor will this Sesshomaru apologize, but that is not the reason I stand here now."

It finally clicked in Inuyasha's head that his brother would not leave until he listened to what he had to say, so he buttoned his lip and turned back to face the older man, "Why are you here then Sesshomaru?"

"Now that you are an equal member of our clan it is your right to claim half of father's lands."

"Wait a minute what? Why the hell would you freely give up the lands you've had since before I was born to me... the half breed you've hated since father mated my mother, have you finally gone insane!"

"As a lord of the west you should act more like one brother, I have not cared for your lands, I have no need for them... you may do as you wish with them this Sesshomaru was merely informing you that they were there." With what he needed to say said Sesshomaru turned and headed back to where he left Jaken, he would be paying a visit to Rin and leave a gift for her before returning to the west.

"Sesshomaru wait!" Though he seemed annoyed in doing so the demon lord halted in his steps. "I... I don't want the lands, these are my lands here the forest and the village I protect is all I need; and I know Kagome wouldn't want to move away from our friends."

"You turn your back on a gift father has given you for a wench?"

"Hey don't call Kagome that, she is my mate and her happiness comes first; besides Tetsusaiga and the fire rat robe I wear is all the things I need from the old man... I was never one for sitting and bossing people around anyway. Look if you want the land you can have it because I don't."

"If you do not claim these lands then you will have to find another way to serve the clan."

Inuyasha was confused by his brother's statement and didn't find out what he meant until a couple days later when a messenger from the western palace apparently was sent to bring Inuyasha there. He was suspicious, having never been there himself, he didn't know what he was in for and so he refused to allow his mate to join him on his journey. Inuyasha returned a few days later with a different attire on, he carried the fire rat robe in his arms and now wore a set of white hakama and matching haori, a black chest and back plate lay overtop... and he was wearing shoes!

When Kagome asked what happened and why the sudden wardrobe change, Inuyasha explained that it was like pulling teeth but Sesshomaru finally asked him to be his second in command and the two brothers would rule the west; the new clothes he had to wear just when he was in council to look like a lord... and he had to be honest that they were quite comfortable. And when Kagome questioned about the shoes, he stated that the cold wind and snow was getting to him and he was given the boots to look more elegant rather than a wild beast; Kagome approved of the look and told him it made him look more mature and older... she also had a feeling that she would seeing more of him in this garb but she didn't mind.

However when practically every few days another servant from the palace would appear to summon her husband she did mind; apparently since Sesshomaru has been roaming the country for the better part of the last fifty-one years... most of that time searching for Tetsusaiga and the last year of it chasing Naraku, many of the lower ranking demon clans have tried to seize the west for their own. Sesshomaru has taken his rightful place as lord once again and it seems that the council thought that if both brothers were seen it would scare the other demons into backing down their raid. Kagome knew Inuyasha couldn't just abandon his father's people and Sesshomaru did help them during their time fighting Naraku, and it was also a chance for the boys to bond... but him being away from most of the winter was ridiculous.

And of course that problem only got worse come spring when they found out Sango was pregnant, don't misunderstand Kagome was happy for their friends, but she was jealous that Miroku was home more than Inuyasha for them to 'make' a baby. And when Inuyasha was informed by Miroku a few days later of Sango expecting he know he was in hot water, he too was getting angry at how often he was being summoned to the west for one thing or another.

He told Sesshomaru he wanted nothing to do with the politics but it seemed he was being dragged into them anyway. Sesshomaru had easily dispatched the demons attempting to take their territory but he wanted every other clan to know not the cross him. And having both sons of the great dog demon general as a front for any warring clans gave the appearance of them being at their strongest; which in fact they were, with Sesshomaru's intelligence and Inuyasha's brute strength they would be unstoppable. But even if Kagome heard all of what they were trying to accomplish she wouldn't be happy that Inuyasha was always away now; to try and please her Inuyasha had started to bring his mate beautiful presents with every trip he took, the biggest so far being an elegant hand woven silk sleeping kimono for when they found out Sango was pregnant. Kagome was flattered by the gifts but they weren't what she wanted... she only wanted her husband.

**Present day...**

And that brings us to the present time where the men were fixing Keade's hut; this was the first time all month Inuyasha showed up since earlier in the month, Kagome now knew that Inuyasha was avoiding her and the situation so now she's taking it out on him while he was trying to build the hut.

"Inuyasha my friend, do not argue with our lovely wives, it will only cause us displeasure later tonight."

"Feh... my mate is already mad at me why should I have to watch my mouth just to allow you to have some fun tonight!" Inuyasha growled while propping up one full wall while Miroku hammered nails to connect it to the others.

"Oh don't worry Inuyasha, Miroku won't be touching me for a very long time," Sango's body ached and she was so moody that she didn't care what came out of her mouth at the moment.

"Oh come now my lovely-."

"Don't you lovely me you hentai, this is all your fault I'm like this anyway!"

The monk cringed at his wife's viper tongue, "I believe we are both in the dog house tonight my friend."

"Keh... speak for yourself monk, all I have to do is twitch my ears and I'll be back on Kagome's good side and in my bed... you have eight more months of this; I ain't looking forward to when Kagome's pupped... I just hope she takes these damn beads off before then."

"Inuyasha..."

"Yeah what mate?"

"SIT!"

"Ahhh!"

_'Thump!'_

_'When will you learn Inuyasha?' _

* * *

Note: Okay so I've started the sequel to 'Seeking power'... don't get too excited that there's one chapter out because I'm going to be taking my time with this story... the next chapter won't be probably for another few weeks; I'm still trying to get other stories done. And sorry if this first chapter is a little confusing... the time skips and all, I wasn't trying to make it hard to read.

**So this story starts around six months after it's prequel, it was earlier September when the other story ended and now it's late March. You've found out how Inuyasha became a full demon but there's more to come... I don't however plan to have this story as long as 'SP' was. This story is going to start out slow explaining over a full year or two before speeding up and have a lot of time skips, at least that's what I'm thinking of for now... it may change as I get farther into the story I haven't decided yet. And I'm going to keep Sango and Miroku's lives the same as the manga/anime... with the children they start out with, other things will be different though; if anyone noticed I have Kagome at sixteen years old instead of eighteen/nineteen-ish where they had her returning.**

**Can't wait for reviews!**


	2. Worries from both sides

_**Don't own Inuyasha... cries .o.o.**_

_"talking"_

_'thinking'_

* * *

"My friend... do not misunderstand me because I don't mean to be rude but what is your problem? Come on Inuyasha we just finished a great paying extermination at this beautiful castle and since it took all day the lovely young princess was able to convince her father to allow us to stay the night! And now we're here enjoying a delicious meal, we'll be sleeping on soft beds instead of the forest floor... and did I mention the wonderful entertainment we were so graciously provided; and you are sitting here sulking! So tell me what's up before you ruin the mood."

It was about a week after the men fixed Keade's hut, and though Sango's mood improved somewhat, Kagome's hadn't... if anything it had only gotten worse. Since she kept sitting him while trying to fix the hut it wasn't finished till about dusk and both Inuyasha and Miroku were dead tired that night. Kagome had felt guilty for her childish antics and just that way her husband flopped on the futon and was immediately out, she knew she may have gone a little too far.

The next morning she had wished to apologize... in her own way, but just as Inuyasha had slipped her sleeping kimono off her shoulders a knocked at their door drew the two away. Once Inuyasha was able to control both his anger and his body he went to answer the call... but seeing who it was he wished he hadn't.

"What do you want Jaken?"

"I don't see why lord Sesshomaru wished I come but he has requested your presence immediately at the castle."

"What for! I was just there a few days ago, and I am a little busy at the moment so tell him he can wait a few more days," Inuyasha pushed off the door frame he was leaning on and was about to return to his mate, hoping she was still in the mood to apologize.

"It is not polite to keep lord Sesshomaru waiting with his important matter! Since you refused to take your lands that your father gave you it is his duty to take them as his and dare I be so bold as to say he is nearly overwhelmed with the work, so you should stop your complaining and do as requested... the human can wait for your attention after yo-eep!" Jaken's runaway mouth snapped shut when Inuyasha palmed his head like a ball and drew him off his feet to come face to face with a very angry dog demon.

"Let's get one thing straight toad... my mate has my full attention no matter what, and if you refer to her as 'human' ever again I won't hesitate to kill you am I clear?"

"Humph! You don't scare me, even though somehow you have become a full demon and lord Sesshomaru sees some worthiness in you now I don't. Now my lord expects you now and I will not leave nor will I allow you any peace with the hu... annoying woman you took for a mate."

Knowing the annoying little servant would hold to his words and deep down... way down Inuyasha secretly did feel guilty for dumping his land on his brother. Inuyasha dropped the imp and turned back the bedroom, "Wait outside... I'll be there in a minute."

When he returned to where Kagome was he knew she would be mad he was leaving again. The futon was folded neatly against the back wall much to his displeasure because that meant they weren't continuing and Kagome was angry. Looking around the room he found her over by the wooden trunk he had bought her on one of his many trips to the west; she was fishing out some of her bathing supplies no doubt intending on leaving soon.

"Uh... Kagome I have to-."

"Sesshomaru needs you again, I understand... I have to start my morning things anyway I'm sure lady Keade is expecting my help today." Kagome kept her head down as she left the room not wishing to look him in the eye.

Inuyasha could sense how upset his mate was and quickly went after her; Jaken hadn't told him how long he would need to be in the west but he still didn't want her to be mad at him before he left. "Kagome wait!"

"Look Inuyasha I really don't want to fight right now, since that's all we seem to be doing these days, so just go okay... I understand you have responsibilities to the west and I'm happy that you and Sesshomaru are finally getting along without trying to kill each other," Kagome turned with a smile on her face and approached his side, she pulled on his forelock signaling she wanted him to bend. When he did she kissed him on the cheek and nuzzled his jaw with her nose, she then released his hair and left the hut without looking back.

Needless to say Inuyasha was in a bad mood the whole way to the western palace, he even made Jaken ride on Ah-Un's tail instead of the sattle. He was angry he had to sit in council for three days and listen to pointless dribble while they fought over whom could take up a small bit of land that the panther tribe had once lived on. His mind was solely on his mate and what she might be up to at that moment; he was so focused that when the leader of the boar demon clan tried to draw him into the debate, Inuyasha snapped and almost lashed out had it not been for his brother stopping him from releasing Tetsusaiga and whipping clean the room.

Sesshomaru came to a decision as to which clan would receive the land, and as punishment for his behavior Sesshomaru made Inuyasha travel back to Keade's village on foot... that took another day and a half even without stopping. He made it back to the village by sun up but just as he was going to go to his hut, Miroku stopped him and began explaining about a large extermination he was called to do at a neighboring human palace. Inuyasha had wanted to tell Kagome where he would be going, because after hearing the monk's description of the demon he would be needed to make sure Miroku made it home alright; because he was the leader of the pack he needed to go and keep the monk alive.

Sango had just come out of the hut and was happy to let Kagome know where he was heading. Though he wasn't attracted to her by any means other than she was pack, Inuyasha couldn't help but think she had some sort of glow about her; Kagome had mentioned once about how women had this radiance about them while pupped... he couldn't help but wonder what Kagome would look like while carrying his child.

_'Oh course I will never know what that looks like if I can't bed her properly!'_

And that brings us to that night with both men staying at the palace and Miroku harassing him about what was bothering him. Inuyasha looked over to the ex-monk and couldn't help but roll his eyes at the scene; the other man was blatantly flirty with the 'entertainment' they were given.

Apparently the lord of the manor saw right through Miroku's charms, imagine that, and didn't want him anywhere near his pure daughter; he allowed them to stay the night because of her request but they were in the farthest part of the eastern wing... which happened to be near the lord's harem. It didn't bother Inuyasha that the women were there, none of them could hold a candle to his Kagome and they weren't really interested in him because of the fact that he was a demon; however, he remained in the room to make sure Miroku didn't get carried away... especially when the sake came out.

Being a full demon now, the human rice wine did nothing to alter his awareness, he could probably drink about seven full jugs of the stuff before even getting buzzed... now demon sake was a different story that stuff would probably knock out even a strong demon like his old man. "Come on Inuyasha, just unwind... relax and enjoy the night; I love staying away from the village... it's just like old times when we were hunting Naraku, only now I don't have to worry about losing my life," Miroku downed another cup of sake then handed it to one of the girls to refill, Inuyasha could already see the signs of him being drunk if his reddened cheeks were any indication.

"Keh, I wouldn't go that far monk... you keep drinking that crap and I'll have to do something about your still wondering hands."

Miroku shot straight up in his seat causing the woman sitting behind him to shriek in surprise, "My friend... surely you're joking, I am hurt you think I would do such a thing."

"Yeah well just remember you're married and you have a pupped mate back home," Inuyasha gulped down his own cup, he really wished this stuff would do something to him; he really was depressed just thinking about home.

"I know what I have at home Inuyasha but... we're men. I do love Sango and I will cherish the child she will give me, but outside the village is different; it doesn't matter if I choose to take one of these ladies to bed tonight because in the morning-."

"You will do no such thing! You have committed yourself to Sango and you will respect her. She is part of my pack and if you hurt her I will slowly rip the organ from your body that makes you a man!" Seeing the once sulking demon now up and enraged scared the women and they quickly fled the room not wishing to be killed.

Miroku could sense his very life was in danger as he watched Inuyasha's eyes flash from gold to red, nightmares of the days when Tetsusaiga broke and his demon side came free; like Kagome, Miroku has been up close and personal with the crazed full demon now full demon Inuyasha be able to control himself. "Inuyasha... I would never disrespect Sango in any way; I was merely joking about lying with any of those women... I thought you would have known that?"

Inuyasha took several deep breaths to cool his blood, once he was able to think straight again he immediately began berating himself. He should have known Miroku was joking with that weird sense of humor of his. "Feh... yeah I guess, but my threat of castration still goes if you attempt it."

"My friend... are you sure you're alright?"

Inuyasha dropped back to the cushioned floor and released a heavy frustrated sigh, "It's not me I'm worried about... it's Kagome."

"Kagome? I can assure you she has been watched very carefully while you've been away; she hasn't left the village and either Sango or I have been with her... if she wasn't already busy with lady Keade."

"It's not that I'm worried about her safety because I know you would look out for her... I'm worried that she may regret becoming my mate. With all the travelling back and forth to the west and then with the exterminations on the side... I've barely had any time for her."

Seeing his demon friend had tapered his temper Miroku moved closer to console the other man. "I'm certain she understands that you are needed to help Sesshomaru and you have other duties you must attend to, are you sure you haven't been over thinking these things?" Miroku retrieved the half full sake jug that the women had abandoned and poured himself another cup... no sense in wasting it really.

"Oh really, you think I'm over thinking... I've only bedded Kagome twice since we've been married."

Hearing Inuyasha's intimate confession about his sex life, or rather lack of, caused Miroku to sputter and spit out the liquid he had just attempted to swallow back out and across the room. Though he rid his body of the wine, what little of it that remained managed to burn the back of his throat going down and causing a fit of coughs to rack his body. He needed to take deep breaths before he could speak again; however, the information he was given truly shocked him. "You can't be serious right, only twice in... weren't you two together all winter? Surely you-."

"No... that would have been you with your woman; and if you had come out you would have noticed that I was in the west while my brother had meeting after meeting with the clan leaders. I know she's mad about all this because this wasn't what she agreed to when marrying me, hell this wasn't what I wanted... I see more of those old bastards than I do my own wife!"

"Easy Inuyasha... you have a lot of pent up frustration and clearly you need time to relax with your wife; maybe you should take some time off... take Kagome away from the village and have time together. It is clear Sesshomaru knows exactly where you are when you're not at the castle since his servants appear every few days upon your returns... so why not take her away some place private where you won't be disturbed. I am sure she isn't quite as mad as you think and it would do you both good to get away; with Sango pregnant I wouldn't doubt Kagome has been thinking along those lines as well."

"Believe me, you have no idea how much I would like to pup Kagome... and with this great idea of yours monk how would it be carried out? Where would I take her, since the well is sealed the only place we have is in the village; and how would I run away from Sesshomaru's messengers? All his servants are demon they would be able to track my scent and I don't feel like dragging Kagome all around the country side... I don't know about you but that's not what I think of as being romantic."

"Well I see a point you've brought up, why not confront Sesshomaru and simply tell him you must spend time with your wife."

"Keh, oh yeah like that is going to happen! Don't you think I tried that already, that ass don't care about my mating, he may tolerate Kagome since she is strong but he ain't stupid... any pup that Kagome will have will be half demon; Inu may be the strongest being when he's born... but he's still a half demon. I'm pretty sure my dear brother is doing all in his power to keep me from her."

"Okay so asking him is out... we could ask lady Keade if she can come up with a tea or something that could mask your scent until you can find a nice place to be with Kagome. And as for that place... we've made a lot of friends in our travels, thanks to Kagome I might add, I'm sure they would willing give you refuge."

"Oh yeah..." Inuyasha scratched his head while trying to remember any of the people he hadn't pissed off on their journey. He had to admit that he wasn't the nicest of demons while among the human villages they were in; if it wasn't for Kagome being peace keeper they probably would have a lot more enemies than friends, but Inuyasha couldn't picture any of the people they've met helping him out.

"I know you might not wish to hear it but I'm sure Koga would-."

"Don't finish that sentence monk. There's no way I would ask that flea bitten mangy wolf for help!" Inuyasha growled just thinking about his once love rival for his mate. Though those days are gone since a few months ago when they found out the wolf prince had held to his promise and returned to the north, Inuyasha found out that while he was in the west a few weeks ago Koga had returned to the village to visit Kagome. She was happy to see her friend and wished to know what had been going on since she last saw him in the fall. Koga proudly announced that Ayame was expecting their first cub... which enraged the dog demon when he was told; there was no way he would allow the wolf to one up him. And he knew now if he went to speak with the demon he would never live it down that the wolf would have a child before him; it hurt his pride just thinking about it.

"It was merely a suggestion."

"Yeah well think of something else will yah... or better yet get some sleep, I can smell the alcohol on you and clearly you're not sane right now; the faster you sleep off the booze the less likely chance I'll have to carry you home tomorrow and get an earful from Sango," to farther finalize the matter Inuyasha grabbed what was left of the sake, slid the panel door that lead to the vast court yard and threw the jug out in the yard, then slammed the door shut and leaned back against it to block Miroku in case he tried to go and retrieve it.

Miroku clearly wasn't happy with the outcome of the conversation, but with no choice but to do as the demon demanded he unrolled the bedding he was provided and climbed in, "You know my friend... you didn't need to dispose of that fine jug sake in such a manner I could have finished it in a few minutes."

"Just shut up and sleep monk."

* * *

**Keade's village...**

"Kagome... hey Kagome the rice is boiling over."

"What?... oh shoot!" Sango's warning drew Kagome from her day dream to notice that the rice had in fact begun to boil over the pot into the flame underneath; she quickly pulled it off hoping to be able to save at least a little bit.

"Kagome are you okay? You're not usually this distracted," Sango could see her friend wasn't herself today, when she had arrived earlier that morning she didn't miss the confusion cross the younger girl's face. Sango knew Kagome had been expecting Inuyasha to come through the door, and though she wasn't unhappy to see her friend, Sango saw the spark dim in the miko's eyes. The ex-demon slayer, for the moment, quickly explained to her sister figure where their husbands had disappeared too.

Kagome didn't say a word or question anything while Sango spoke, she understood how dangerous demon exterminations could be for Miroku without the wind tunnel to aid him and she was happy and proud that her once anti-social half demon who use to fight every time they would stop to help a village, now he was helping his friend without so much as a peep. But though she didn't voice her feelings she was extremely disappointed that her husband was once again gone from the village and away from her.

He had only been in the hut maybe one night in between his many trips to the west and now who knows how long he would be gone... or if Sesshomaru would summon him again. Just thinking about her brother-in-law got her blood boiling at that minute; at the amount of times her husband has been called to the western palace in the last few months one would think that he didn't want the children to come at all.

Kagome understood and excepted that she would have to wait to have Inu, in her time it was frowned upon to become pregnant so soon after marriage... but here it was practically expected that a woman become with child shortly after marrying; in fact if a young girl was not pregnant within that first year it was assumed that she never would and the kami were unpleased with her somehow. Kagome had already began to hear rumors of her currently empty womb, and she has caught the many disapproving glares form older women, either from her not being pregnant or that she married a demon, she wasn't sure.

And it seems that pressure has only increased since Sango's confirmed pregnancy, she was certain everyone was expecting her announcement any time now. But then again you can't really get pregnant without a man's help, and since her husband has only been with her twice in the six months they've been married, Kagome knew that news wouldn't be happening soon.

"I'm fine Sango really, I was just thinking."

"Can I be curious and ask about what, I've noticed you have been distance a lot lately." Sango wasn't dumb; she knew why her friend was upset. She was lucky that her husband only had one job away from the village therefore he was home more often and able to give her all the attention she needed from him, and now they were expecting a child because of it now. But Sango could see Kagome felt neglected by Inuyasha and it wasn't fair; she had to fight for his attention when they were fighting Naraku because of Kikyo, and now she had to compete with his duty as a lord of the west, but knowing Kagome she wouldn't talk with Inuyasha about her feelings and just let him get away with his treatment of her... Sango wouldn't have that however.

"It's nothing to worry about... how are you feeling today, you haven't gotten sick today," Kagome didn't want to think about how down her life was right now; no instead she wanted to focus on happy things and Sango's child was one of those things right now.

"No I haven't thank the kami, but every day is different, I have a feeling this little one will keep me on my toes after it's born," Sango let out an embarrassing giggle while patting her still flat belly, this was all very new to her. Like speaking about activities in the bedroom was taboo so was basically discussing ones pregnancy; the topic itself was ignored in public, there were always women pregnant in the village but they were just there. The only time it was every alright to speak openly about it was around the time the child was to be born, then of course the mother was praised for carrying the child and for it being healthy. Sango could remember when she was a little girl and when her mother was pregnant with Kohaku how she remained close to the family home and didn't ever speak out her condition; thinking back on it now Sango could only assume some how her mother knew she wouldn't survive the birth and never see her son anyway. That thought alone scared Sango the most, she knew how easy it was for something to go wrong with a birth and a result of both the mother and child dying, she feared she would die while giving birth and that was something she didn't want to think about.

But it seemed like Kagome's mysterious time also didn't have the same views, the younger girl spoke openly about everything certain topics yes she would blush over but others, like pregnancy, shocked Sango with her boldness. "What do you want it to be?"

"What do you mean Kagome?"

"Well... I mean when I get pregnant it won't be much of a surprise at what I'll be having, but with you it's fifty/fifty; so do you want a boy or girl?" Kagome had already begun envisioning a little girl with Sango's nose and chestnut hair or a little boy with Miroku's charming little smile with that sly glint in his eye... they made such a cute couple and their babies would be adorable.

"Well... naturally Miroku would want a son to carry on his family, is that not common in your time?"

"Well no not really... I mean I'm the oldest and so are you for that matter. And I thought Miroku only wanted a boy because he wasn't sure if he would live long enough to see Naraku die."

"All men want a son first, my father was no exception to that and he raised me and trained me as a demon slayer; I don't regret it what he taught me because it saved my life numerous times, but I still wish my mother was there for me. That's why it would be better if this child was a boy, that way if anything were to happen to me... Miroku would be able to-."

"Don't think that Sango, yes I know it's hard to have a baby in this time but Keade has been teaching me how to assist in a birthing and with my knowledge from the future you'll be fine."

Sango smiled at her friend's caring words, Kagome would make sure everything was alright, "Thank you Kagome... you don't know much that means to hear you say that." She then looked the window that was normally covered up by a small reed flap, "The sun will be setting soon... I guess the boys won't be coming home tonight."

"Yeah... but that's not really a surprise, at least not for Inuyasha." Kagome's dreary mood from earlier was back full force as she began fixing a plate for Sango of rice and roasted rabbit Inuyasha had caught just before he left the week before.

"Kagome you should talk to him if you're angry, he might be your husband but he can't read your mind."

"Sometimes I think he doesn't want to be with me though."

"What! Kagome you can't seriously think that right? Inuyasha loves you... you didn't realize how happy he was when you agreed to marry him, do you know how rare it is for a half demon to ever find a mate?"

"But he's not a half demon anymore, what if the reason he is always away is because he regrets taking me as his mate now... what is he wants a full demon wife?" Kagome suddenly burst into tears.

Sango immediately looked around the small room to see if Kagome had gotten into a bottle of sake recently that she didn't know about, "Ka-Kagome! You can't be serious; Inuyasha wouldn't want another woman let alone a full demon... I told you dog demon's mate for life, he only wants you."

"Then why doesn't he want to sleep with me!" Kagome's abrupt outburst shocked her friend and a fierce blush spread across her cheeks; Kagome once again was pulling her into a conversation she wasn't comfortable talking about. "Am I not desirable now that he's had me? Oh god what if I wasn't good... I don't really think that's fair that he should judge that because it's only been my first time and-."

"Um... Kagome?"

"Oh no what if... what if he's been hurt and can't perform and he's too embarrassed to talk to me about it... the poor thing."

"Kagome I don't... can that really happen?" Sango was shocked that questioned came from her mouth, she didn't really wish to know the answer, and Kagome had still not stopped talking yet.

"Or what if Sesshomaru has scared him somehow by making Inuyasha think he won't be a good father, if he is behind this I don't care if he is the lord of the west I'll kill him myself!"

"Kagome calm down, I don't think Sesshomaru has anything to do with it."

"Then what is his excuse... when we were fighting Naraku and I was inside my mind with the older Inuyasha, he explained how he missed out on most of Inu's life because of his duty to the west... and it was on one of these trips back that he encountered Naraku and fell into his trap. I told Inuyasha all this months ago but he still seems to do as he pleases."

"Well Kagome... what happened to your future selves can't possibly happen now with Naraku dead; don't you think perhaps you maybe over reacting just a little bit?" Sango honestly thought a little bit was even an understatement, she thought her young friend was behaving must like a pregnant woman with her constantly changing mood swings, _'What are you thinking girl, you know that's not possible... right now at least.'_

Not wanting to get into this conversation for a third time that day Sango decided it was time to call it a night, the boys clearly would not travel in the dark which meant they were camping out somewhere, _'And that somewhere had better not be anywhere near the palace concubine... I'll have to talk to Inuyasha about their trip when he returns.'_ "Well Kagome... I think I'll be heading home, I'm getting quite tired a lot earlier now," Sango stood and made her way to the hut entrance.

"Yeah I'll see you tomorrow Sango-chan," Kagome wasn't really looking forward to yet another night alone in her home.

"Kagome please talk to Inuyasha about this before you're too upset to do so; I'm sure once you talk to him he'll see and then have a word with Sesshomaru... you'll see everything will be okay." _'Because if it's not then Hiraikotsu may have to be brought down upon a few stubborn demons' heads.'_ Sango would see to it that her friend got a happy ending, and she felt the need to be a little violent was always a good thing to vent her frustrations... the boys' better watch out when they got back.

* * *

**Note: Okay another seemingly boring charpter... I'm really just trying to build up to the first major problem in the story that will be coming up soon, wonder if anyone can guess what it is? I'm going to have to be honest that I got bored about the time Kaome and Sango were talking... it was more fun doing the guys part.**

**Thanks to:  
**animewiz123  
Dancing-With-The-Past  
msmes  
edasama  
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**For reviewing... luv'em!**


	3. I can't be patient anymore

_**Don't own Inuyasha... cries .o.o.**_

_"talking"_

_'thinking'_

* * *

Thankfully the trip back to the village was uneventful and therefore the boys weren't held up farther; though Inuyasha wasn't happy that he was once again serving as a pack mule by Miroku. That morning while Inuyasha was patrolling the land one more time to make sure there were no more unwanted demon in the area to attack the castle, Miroku was once again shamelessly flirting with the young princess. The lord, her father, wasn't pleased in the slightest seeing the two interact; he even went so far as to offer them more money if they left earlier than planned.

Miroku, being a man always looking for an easy score, quickly obliged with the older man's wishes... much to the princess's displeasure. Inuyasha wasn't shocked to see his friend wondering around the village when he returned from his scouting; however, when Miroku explained what happened and gave him his half of their payment Inuyasha couldn't help but glare.

"You planned that all out didn't you, milking them for every cent for an easy job."

"I am shocked you accuse me of something so harsh, it is not as if they are poor to begin with and I have a growing family to think about; and with your worries last night with the extra money you could buy Kagome something nice to make up for your continuous absence."

"Keh... you just don't want to give the money back."

Miroku quickly ran off into the village and began buying a bunch of different things, he knew Sango was learning how to cook and so he bought plenty of rice and a few different vegetables along with a variety of pots all in different sizes; he also purchased different clothing materials, he normally wore his robes while in the shrine or on jobs but when the warmer weather was to come he hoped to have a few lighter weight outfits. He also knew in the coming months with Sango's pregnancy, she would be growing rather round in her middle and her normal kimono would not fit so he bought a few lighter in color materials for her.

Inuyasha didn't really want or need anything for himself, while on these kinds of jobs he wore his traditional fire rat kimono rather than his more regal attire, Sesshomaru wouldn't be pleased knowing his brother was still dirty his hands with human work; and if he was wearing his royal kimono and armor while doing these jobs he would surely come from the west and skin him alive. He too bought rice for Kagome and was even lucky enough to find a small shop that made bread, he was pleased that the owner was willing to sell him some flour; Kagome was also asking for a large pot to make stew for everyone in their group. As he was making his way back to the entrance of the village to meet Miroku he walked past the fabric stand and spotted a beautiful light blue material that would make a great kimono for his wife; knowing he was most likely in a lot of trouble with her he figured he needed to buy something to sway her temper upon his return.

He of course wasn't expecting Miroku to buy nearly three times as much stuff and somehow he wound up caring all of it. "You're lucky I like you monk, if anyone saw one of the lords of the West being used as a pack mule I'd be the laughing stock of the land once again... not to mention I would get an earful from Sesshomaru."

"I assure you my friend if I were as strong as you I would take on the burden myself but sadly I am a weak human and therefore am unable to do anything," Miroku casually threw in one of Inuyasha's old comments about how frail humans were, "And I highly doubt anyone from the Western court would travel this far east just to snicker at you helping a long time friend carry a few things home to his pregnant and probably very grouchy wife."

_'Must you rub the pregnant part in?'_ Inuyasha's shoulders slumped, thinking about his mate, she too should be pupped right now along with her friend but because of his busy schedule they haven't had time to be together. Inuyasha was hoping, praying that when he set foot in the village he could steal Kagome away for some private time just out of the others eyes; he desperately needed to be with her. And not just the need to touch her no he needed to couple with her in every possibly way, his inner demon demanded that he stake his lust for his mate and that it had been too long since the last time. He was quite certain if a servant was waiting at his hut to bring him to the West he was sure he would gut the demon right there and then take his woman out into the woods and keep her there until she was pupped. _'Actually that doesn't sound like a bad idea... no, no wait I can't do that, it would make me no better than those lesser demons that rape and kill village girls; I could never do anything to hurt Kagome in such a way. She should be treated like the lady she is... Kagome.'_

His lovely young bride was the only thing on his mind as he increased his speed, despite the extra weight on his back, to reach the village a little quicker. "Inuyasha wait up!" Though he wasn't bogged down by anything it was still a struggle for Miroku to keep pace with the full demon.

* * *

When the two weary men entered the village around mid-afternoon nothing seemed to be out of place. Though Inuyasha wanted to drop all of Miroku's things where he stood and run to his hut he knew that would be wrong and if ever Kagome found out he would be sleeping outside for at least a week... but of course he didn't have to be nice about it.

"Come on monk, I want to get to Kagome before night fall!"

Coming up to the monk's hut the dog demon thought he was home free; he had just finished dismounting everything from his back when Sango came out of the hut. She immediately went to her husband to check him over for any wounds, when she was done and saw no flesh wounds she then began scanning him more closely for any blemished skin or other marks from a night of intimate activity. Even though they were married and she was carrying his child, Sango still did not trust Miroku and his lecherous ways when she was not in his sight. She knew with Inuyasha there he wouldn't dream of being unfaithful and seeing him clean only pleased her more.

And speaking of Inuyasha, his focus was on the breeding female member of his pack the minute she came outside. His ears and eyes were trained on her scent and figure to make sure both she and the pup were safe; he didn't want to mention what was slowly starting to bother him because he had never been so close to a pregnant female before but there was something about Sango's scent that was throwing him off. She was still very early in her pregnancy so he wouldn't bring it up at the moment.

Sango spotted Inuyasha standing there and immediately move away from her husband to face down the demon. She knew demon nature and so she knew dog demon males only ever submitted to females in their packs, that weren't their mates, when they were pupped; she knew it was a little low of her to use her pregnancy to manipulate the alpha male but right she was desperate. "Inuyasha!"

"Y-Yes?" Though he was alpha his instincts were telling him to submit to this female because she was pupped; he wasn't pleased when his ears drooped though.

"You need to go speak to your wife now."

"Why, what's wrong?" Inuyasha was immediately on alert at the mention of his mate may possibly be in trouble.

"She is driving everyone in the village crazy, right now she's at lady Keade's hut most likely driving her up a wall or at least across the room... you need to go calm her down now!" Inuyasha didn't need to be told twice as he dashed off first to his hut to drop off his things before running to save the elderly priestess from his mate.

* * *

Now the way Sango was carrying on, Inuyasha thought that Kagome would be ranting and ravening, wishing she never was with him; he feared she was at Keade's because she was trying to find a way to remove his mating mark from her shoulder. Even though he knew that no human herb could remove his claim, just the thought that she might attempt something like that threw him into a blind panic. He made it to the hut in record timing and nearly ripped the reed mat from the doorway in his haste to enter; however, the scene inside wasn't what he thought he would see. Keade was sitting by the fire stoking it and tending to what his nose was telling him was stew; and his wife was resting comfortably on a futon close by.

"Inuyasha come inside before the chill enters," the older woman scolded while sending a glare his way.

Inuyasha cautiously slipped inside, his eyes never leaving his sleeping wife, not wishing to make much noise to wake her. Once he was sitting by the fire across from Keade he finally spoke up," Is everything okay... why is she here?"

"Well from what I could understand between her sobs earlier," Inuyasha's heart clenched hearing his mate was upset, but he remained in his seat to listen to the priestess," Another messenger was sent this morning by ye brother, requesting you return to the West. The child was very upset about it and came to me, she was too distraught to verbally calm herself so I gave her some herbal tea to settle her down... it's better that she sleep than become sick because of her crying. Though it is not this old woman's business about ye personal life but may I be so bold as to ask what is going on?"

Inuyasha didn't want to divulge his troubled married life, and the fact that he wasn't getting laid by his beautiful wife, but he knew if he didn't explain what was going on somehow he would be blamed for all of it; and though the old bat was annoying sometimes she normally did give go advice. So he proceed to explain the happenings of the last few months, his face a flamed when he spoke of their non-existed bedroom life but he quickly pushed that aside to finish his story; he wanted to finish bad mouthing his brother before Rin returned from gathering herbs. Even though Sesshomaru left his charge in Keade's care while he returned to the West the little human girl still worshipped the ground her lord walked upon and thought he could do no wrong... though she was sadly mistaken, Inuyasha still didn't want to crush her dream.

"I see... have ye not spoken to lord Sesshomaru, maybe he will allow you to miss a few meetings."

"Keh, yeah right, he'll just guilt trip me into it because I handed my land over to him; and besides I doubt he wants me to pup Kagome anyway. Inu was even stronger than him and I know he felt threatened by the pup."

"Then there's no point in trying to have a family," Kagome's emotionally thick voice drew both the other occupants of the tiny hut from their conversation over to her; Inuyasha didn't even realize that she was awake and he was worried about how much she heard.

"Ka-Kagome what do you mean there's no point?"

"Y-You said it yourself, Sesshomaru doesn't want us to have a family and so he's doing everything he can to keep us apart," it appeared Keade's tea didn't relax her as much as they all wished because she was crying yet again.

Her tears pushed her husband up from his seat and to her side, trying to calm her. "Kagome I doubt that my brother has so much free time on his hands that he can medal in or lives; he's just trying to prevent a war from breaking out in the West and I need to be there to show a strong front that's it. Once all this blows over and settles we won't hear from him for probably years... just please be patient." The minute those words left his month Inuyasha knew he was in serious trouble when he saw how tense Kagome became; his instincts told him to run but he remained where he knelt by her side waiting for whatever punishment she would deal out to him.

"Be patient? I think I've been very patient since the day I met you!" Kagome shot up off the futon and marched toward her panicking husband; seeing her move Inuyasha also got up off the floor only to be cornered against the wall of the hut when she approached jamming her finger into his chest. "I kept myself here to help collect the jewel shards when I could have gone home and sealed the well, I watched as my perfect grades slipped down to barely passing just to keep you happy! I patiently waited not knowing if you would ever return every time you went to Kikyo. I was the one that gave up my family to be with you, I became your wife and have been by your side for nearly two years patiently waiting for my turn to be with you... and now I have to once again wait patiently for your brother to be finished with you all because our first night together you somehow transformed into a full demon! I can't wait anymore Inuyasha."

"Kagome," Inuyasha feared what her words meant.

"Maybe you should just go to the West-."

"Kagome you can't-."

"It hurts too much to see glimpses of you for a few hours a month; you spent more time in the West or out exterminating demons with Miroku than you do me. You should stay in the West and finish what he needs and then you can come home and be the husband I need you to be."

"Kagome please, I don't know how long all that will take, I can't be away from you that long; just this past week has been hard for me... please." Inuyasha crushed Kagome's petite body to his chest burying his nose into her neck, praying she wouldn't throw him out; his instincts were screaming to submit, to lay on his back and show his tummy begging for forgiveness he didn't even care that Keade was still there either. He released a loud, pained whimper when Kagome rapidly shook her head in his chest, refusing his plea. He was near tears when she pulled out of his embrace and ran out of the hut. "Kagome!"

Inuyasha held back the urge to cry, the pain in his chest was unbearable and he could barely get enough air into his lungs with the closing feeling. Being mated to a human sometimes wasn't always good, Kagome couldn't feel the bond he created with her and so she didn't realize how just watching her walk away from him was nearly killing him.

Keade remained quiet throughout the lover spat, it was always interesting when Kagome was involved; coming from a different time where the laws for women were different it was quite shocking how she could always stand up for herself. Although normally Inuyasha was in the wrong and the priestess would silently cheer the future born miko on, this time however the dog demon was just as much the victim; he was being asked to be so much more than he could handle right now and they both were paying for it.

"Inuyasha give her some time to cool down, I am sure she will be her normal self by night fall."

Inuyasha barely heard anything the old woman was saying because all he was focused on was that his mate made it safely back to their hut... and the servant Sesshomaru sent that morning, the little bastard was lurking in the woods waiting for him to come out of the village and begin the journey back to the West. Just thinking about that long trip back to that dreadful palace, with all those old greedy bastards... and the distance that would be between him and his extremely upset mate caused Inuyasha's blood to boil and a dark growl to rip from his throat.

"No Keade... she had every right to be angry, I'm her husband and she is suppose to be the center of my life, she's done so much for me and I can't even give her that? The older me allowed Sesshomaru to run his life and by doing that he lost a lot of time with his family and ultimately led him to fall right into Naraku's trap... I won't that happen this time," Inuyasha moved to the door, "If she comes back tonight, tell her I'll be back in a few days with everything in the West finished for good."

* * *

**Note: Not as long as the first two chapters but there was more drama in this one so I figure it even out. What's Inuyasha going to do when he comfronts his brother... and will Kagome take him back so quickly? Chapters for this story as I said will be slow, I'm trying to get some fan art out with it too, so far I have one picture for chapter 1 done; you can go on my deviantart site (which is linked on my home page to see it). I'm going to try and get more out these next few weeks, along with other chapters for different stories.**

**Thanks to:  
**Shinju Ami Mikuu  
I love the whole Inu gang  
HopelessRomantic183  
crazybananasprinkles  
SorenLovesHolly  
RokStarrStyle  
Frankiegirl2020  
msmes  
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**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up!**


	4. Alpha challenge

_**Don't own Inuyasha... cries .o.o.**_

_"talking"_

_'thinking'_

* * *

"SESSHOMARUUUUUUUUU!" Inuyasha's voice roared off the high walls of the Western palace followed by a loud crash as the grand front doors were thrown open by the enraged demon. Both servants and mistresses of the court scurried out of the young lord's path, fearful of what he may do in his blind rage. The guards placed out in the halls even cringed as Inuyasha's aura flared out in search of his brother, but none of them dare to open their mouth either help guide him in the right direction or stop him in his pursuit.

And Inuyasha didn't want anyone to bother him in his quest, miles before the castle was even in view he already had a feeling as to where the elder dog demon was. The only thing that has been on his mind since he left the village was to confront his brother for his summoning once again; this needed to stop, he couldn't be at his brother's beck and call anymore because it was ruining his relationship with his mate and he couldn't have that. Seeing Kagome's upset face and her words of not wishing to see him were burned into his mind and only added fuel to the fire that burned in his heart; he needed to ease her pain and this was a major part of it.

"Sesshomaru come out now!" Just to piss his brother off more, Inuyasha grabbed up any piece of furniture that wasn't nailed down or if a servant got in his path he would lash out and attack the object in his way just to get to Sesshomaru.

"Must you act so childish brother, it is far beyond a lord much less one from our father's line, to act as such," the cold, calm voice of the lord of the land filled the room as Sesshomaru himself appeared from a door down the hall.

All the servants bowed their heads in respect to their master, while the concubines that were brave enough not to run away while Inuyasha was having his hissy fit, openly flirted with their lord hoping he would allow one of them to grace his bed that night. They were greatly disappointed yet again when his sole attention was given to his brother instead of him. The only person who seemed unfazed by his grand lordship was Inuyasha himself, though he was pleased now that he wouldn't have to go hunting for him and waste time.

"I need to talk to you now!" Inuyasha didn't wait for a response, he just stomped pass his brother and into the office that Sesshomaru just exited, knowing if he wanted to speak with his brother he would have to be somewhere the stubborn jerk would go; and since dragging him outside wasn't an opposition this was the next best place. Seeing Jaken still in Sesshomaru's office only proved that the lord had every intention of coming back into the room... now all he had to do was wait.

* * *

Sesshomaru's imp assistant was expecting his lord to come back into the study so they could continue their planning on how to handle the disturbance in the northern part of the land; but when the rude, loud mouthed, little once half demon came barging in... Jaken was extremely upset. "What are you doing here! Were you the one causing all that racket out there and disturbing lord Sesshomaru from his work!"

"Keh, so what if I was, he has disturbed me enough and it's about time I return the favor; I'm tired of this crap and it will stop today," Inuyasha was seconds away from skinning the annoying imp but Sesshomaru came back into the room at that minute drawing his attention once again.

"You've caused quite the disturbance among my servants brother."

"Keh!"

"And where is the one that this Sesshomaru sent to you human village to retrieve you?"

"Not that you really care about the annoying little thing, but I left him in the dust back at my village, I didn't have time to wait for him to keep up with that dragon of yours."

"Why such the rush to get here? Normally I have to drag you kicking and screaming from your human," Jaken wanted desperately to smack the insolent pup with his staff for how he was speaking to his lord, but he knew his master wouldn't approve of that type of punishment and would most likely inflict his own brutal punishment for acting out of turn.

But the glare the younger brother was sending his way spoke of a beating he was going to inflict on the imp, "What did I tell you about referring to my mate in such a vulgar way you little toad!" Inuyasha cracked his knuckles and was going to jump the assistant had Sesshomaru not spoken up again.

"Jaken do not add your input unless spoken to."

"Of course lord Sesshomaru I apologize."

"Why don't you tell your little butt kissing assistant to take a hike so I can speak to you alone Sesshomaru," Inuyasha smirked when he saw his older brother's face twitch for a split second, Jaken however completely blew up over the comment.

"How dare you... yo-."

"Jaken... leave." It was clear that the toad didn't want to leave, but he wouldn't go against his lord so he buttoned his lip and left the office through another door on the other side of the room.

When the shoji door slide shut and both demons were certain they were alone is when Inuyasha finally let loose. "This has got to stop Sesshomaru; I'm not a dog that will come every time you whistle!"

"And yet little brother... here you stand," the smirk Sesshomaru let creep on to his face stoked the rage Inuyasha had simmering back full force.

"I came because I wanted to tell you face to face that this would be the last time I will be coming out here." Inuyasha slammed his fist on the table to make a point that he wasn't going to be pushed around anymore.

Sesshomaru didn't show any signs of intimidation by his brother's threat; his cold mask remained in place. "You refuse the land our father gave to you now you wish to completely back out of your responsibilities."

"I didn't ask for the responsibility nor do I want it, my sole responsibility is to my mate... which as of the last six months I haven't been doing that either. All this running back and forth and then helping the monk with exterminations has been putting unneeded stress on Kagome... she's put up with enough crap from me before we mated, she doesn't deserve this now that we are."

"This Sesshomaru has already told you the solution to your problem brother."

"I can't move here Sesshomaru, I can't drag Kagome away from the village where are friends are, and she wouldn't be safe anyway. She still has her spiritual powers and the demons that serve you here wouldn't be comfortable with her here. And when we have our pups they will be half demons... and I know from personal experience how much they are welcome among demon society. The clan leaders coming and going all the time wouldn't accept our mating either... so I'm putting my foot down on the matter. This is the last time I will set foot in this castle and if you send one of your lackeys to my village I will kill them and if you continue to send them I will continue to sharpen my claws on their skulls; there is no other choice besides my mate."

* * *

"YOU DID WHAT!" The next morning Sango wanted to know if Inuyasha did what she told him to, and of course Miroku being the good husband trying to not upset his wife, quickly obliged by her wishes and accompanied her to their friends' home. Upon entering the hut the couple was expecting to see Inuyasha laying around the main room, or at least expecting him to be sleeping in their bedroom in the back; but seeing Kagome only in the room by the unlit fire pit doing some needle work gave the two suspicion.

Sango was worried, with how her friend had been talking two days before that Kagome may have tied Inuyasha up in the bedroom with a few sutra and rope to prevent him from going to the West for at least a few days. Tying someone up might be a fantasy of her husband's but she wasn't sure if Inuyasha liked that kind of thing, her face immediately flamed realizing where her train of thought had been wondering... she blamed it on the pregnancy that her mind was becoming as perverted as Miroku's.

The monk's reasoning for his demon friend not being present wasn't anywhere near as perverted as his wife... his actually made more sense; he merely assumed that Inuyasha had gone out for a mid morning run and a hunt to bring his wife some fresh meat for the next few days. But to hear the words from Kagome's mouth so causally as to where her husband was shocked the couple to their cores.

"I simply told him to go to the West and stay there until whatever it is Sesshomaru needs him so badly for is completed, I'm tired of having to fight for his attention and maybe he can focus now and come home faster," Kagome didn't even bother to look up from her stitch work to look at her friends reactions; she didn't see a problem with her reasoning... but there was a big problem with her logic.

"Kagome, remember how I told you male demons are extremely sensitive to their mates' emotions? Well... sending him away like you've done, in his eyes it's as if you were rejecting him as your mate. If anything he will try everything in his power to prove he is a worthy mate... even challenge Sesshomaru for his alpha position to please you," Sango quickly tried to explain the gravity of the situation to her friend.

"Challenge Sesshomaru for his position... but I thought Inuyasha was already alpha of our strange pack?"

"In a sense yes he is alpha of pack, but his brother being older and the ruling lord of the West has a higher position in the pack; he has his own pack that both Inuyasha and you are a part of." Pleased to see that Kagome put down her sowing to listen, Sango didn't miss the confusion on her young friend's face. "It's like a tree and its branches, the thicker ones being the head alphas and the smaller branches being the packs they look after. Sesshomaru is a head alpha and Inuyasha is his beta... basically Inuyasha is his brother's heir. If Sesshomaru does not take a mate and have a child, if something should happen to him then Inuyasha would become the next ruler of the West; that's probably why he keeps calling Inuyasha there to train and prepare him should something happen. But if Inuyasha feels he must prove himself worthy then he may challenge Sesshomaru for his title... it could be really bad. Inuyasha is a lot younger than his brother and still trying to get use to his full demon body... and if the two fight and weaken each other, another clan of demon may try to take the castle and kill them."

The mention of Inuyasha possibly dying caused alarm in his wife, "But... but I didn't want any of that to happen! I just wanted Inuyasha to be free and be able to remain closer to the village more often."

Miroku, having spoken to Inuyasha already, knew what was bothering the girl he consider his younger sister. Kagome was always good at hiding her pain, she became quite skilled while dealing with Inuyasha running to Kikyo; but Miroku being the first to witness her fake cheerfulness when she was in pain... she couldn't fool him now. He knew Kagome wanted a child, seeing the six children that would be hers' in the future and being their temporary mother for two months and then have them taken from her has put her through a lot of pain that she hasn't been keeping bottled up.

And on top of that, having her husband continuously leaving to fulfill his duties to everyone, and then having to be around Sango everyday and knowing she was pregnant, would be hard for the girl. She was basically lonely and bored and Miroku was certain Sango felt somewhat the same; neither woman had much to do during the day since they had taken on the roll of normal village women; though he knew of one thing Kagome could do to keep herself busy. Even though she was Inuyasha's wife, in every way possible, somehow she managed to keep her spiritual powers; Keade had wished to train Kagome since she was pretty old and feared she wouldn't be able to train a proper priestess before her death. They knew Kagome couldn't be a priestess by any terms as to performing spiritual ceremonies that required a woman pure from birth to perform; however, she could still heal and treat the sick and of course she could protect the village if it should need it.

But Kagome hasn't had the chance to speak to her husband yet about the proposal. And with the fifth member of their pack scarcely around these days, Shippo has been away all winter with a group of kitsune training to become a proper fox demon... he comes to visit every few weeks but he hasn't been seen for a while, both girls were in serious need of something to do. Miroku could easily keep Sango busty for the next few months till the baby was born, but Kagome... well he did have one idea.

"Kagome, maybe you should take up the hobby of meditation, it would calm and relax you... it cleanses the soul and I know from personal experience that it is quite refreshing and renews the body." Sango didn't voice her opinion of the 'cleans the soul' part since he was trying to help their dear friend... but she didn't question as to why his soul would need so much cleaning.

"Thank you Miroku, I may decide to do just that, but first I must go to the West!" Kagome shot up from her sitting position and ran into the bedroom area to begin packing what she would need, she would also have to decide as to what to wear; clearly the ankle length skirt and haori she had chosen to wear today wouldn't be suitable attire for the trip... that meant digging into her stash on modern close she brought from her last trip from the future. She rarely wore the items since permanently moving here, finding the clothing of this era more comfortable than hers; but of course on rare occasions like this she was glad she thought to bring some.

"Wait, wait Kagome... why do you need to go to the West?" Sango came into the room right after the other girl, she refused to allow Miroku to move from his spot on the cushion, it's not that she didn't trust her best friend would not allow such unfaithful deeds to transpire but Miroku's hands still wondered some times. She was pleased to have trusted her instincts because as she came in Kagome was only in her panties and was in the process of removing her top and the bindings that kept her breasts in place and was about to put on that strange contraption she called a 'bra' and one of her modern long sleeve tops.

"Because I need to stop Inuyasha from challenging Sesshomaru and getting himself killed!" Kagome began to stuff her old tattered yellow bag with a little food and extra pair of clothes.

"Kagome you can't do that, getting involved in an alpha fight could lead to you getting killed!"

"I don't care Sango I need to try," everything she needed was packed and she was in a pair of jeans and dawning a light weight jacket to fend off the light chill, Kagome left the hut and headed in the direction she saw Inuyasha head whenever he left.

"Kagome wait please!"

Sango's cries didn't seem to be working so Miroku tried to step in with a more logical approach. "Kagome, might I inquire as to how you plan on getting to the Western castle... it is a three day walk for a human."

Kagome halted mid step, apparently she hadn't thought this all the way through. She was about to ask Sango if she could barrow Kirara like she use to when they were on their journey to go home when she needed to take a test and they were too far away from the village; but she then remembered that the demon exterminator's faithful companion was not in the village. Kirara had become restless when her mistress had decided to settle down and have a family; Sango could see how unhappy her friend had become with this dull life so she made one of the hardest sacrifices in her life. Kohaku, getting his second chance at life wanted to make the most of it; he planned to head out to remote villages that rarely saw outsiders yet were pledged by demons to slay them. Sango didn't want her little brother unprotected and so she asked Kirara to watch out for him; the two haven't been back to the village since Sango and Miroku got married but they all knew Kirara would watch over him as if he were her own kitten so they weren't worried... however that put a damper on Kagome's plan.

* * *

Just as she was about to drop her bag and admit a bitter defeat a voice from the woods behind her home drew all three's attention. "Agh, damn dog brat, how dare he leave without waiting for me; the master will most likely call for my head for not keeping him under control," the little impish demon looked similar to Jaken only he had tiny greenish wings on his back and he was grumbling some words under his breath too low for them to hear.

Miroku drew his staff from inside the hut where he left it and approached the demon, "What business do you have in this village demon?"

Finally noticing them, and seeing the Buddhist staff in his face the demon glared and knocked it away from his person, "Like I would answer to a pathetic, stinking human like you!" He growled and continued to dust the dirt off his royal robes that spoke of his rank in servos to the Western lord, which Kagome then realized that she knew this creature.

"You're the messenger that Sesshomaru sent to bring Inuyasha to the palace yesterday."

"How would a human woman know that information... how dare a trollop like you refer to my master with such disrespect!"

A dark aura arose from Kagome's body that caused even her friends to cringe at and back away, " This trollop just happens to be Inuyasha's mate, which makes me Sesshomaru's sister-in-law, or pack sister as he would see to it; either way I am higher in rank than you and I'm quite certain your master nor my mate would tolerate such free speech from such a low rank servant like you. Now answer the question and I won't purify you."

Hearing Kagome's words caused the little demon to tense and fear for his life, he hadn't recognized the woman who threw him out of the village the day before when he came in search of the young lord; she looked completely different with these strange clothes on. He immediately got down on his knees, though inwardly he was growling in hatred at the thought of lowering himself to a human, on the outside he was coming up with every apology he could think of to please this bossy bitch. "My deepest apologies my lady I dare not mean such disrespect, I was merely upset that lord Inuyasha left me here."

"Why did he leave you?"

"I am not sure human monk, he was quite angry when he approached me yesterday and then he took off to the castle before I could even mount Ah-Un."

"Wait a minute, you have Sesshomaru's dragon with you!" Kagome's eyes lit up, a plan already forming in her head once again.

"Yes, how else would I have made it here, I am a small demon and if I walked it would take as long as a human," the demon rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Kagome chose to ignore his disrespect for the moment, clearly he had no manners to speak of, in light of this new discovery and began searching the surrounding tree line for the fierce two headed dragon; she was pleased to see Ah-Un standing a few yards away behind a tree, the demon wasn't very friendly with strange humans so he never entered the village. "Do you think you could take me to the palace?"

Kagome's question shocked everyone present, her friends weren't happy that she was thinking of leaving once again. "Kagome you can't!"

"I agree with Sango, I don't think Inuyasha would be happy if you left the safety of the village," Miroku knew firsthand how hard the dog demon worked to keep his wife away from the demon filled castle; if she succeed in leaving the village, the monk had no doubt his friend would surely kill him for not stopping her.

But Kagome was stubborn and now that she had found a solution to her once problem she was going to make it to the West and her husband no matter what. "I told you I need to stop Inuyasha from challenging Sesshomaru for his position as alpha."

Kagome's explanation drew an odd bout of laughter from the once grumpy imp, once he was able to control himself once again he became serious, "You think I would take you to lord Sesshomaru's home… that is absurd. My master has more important things to do than worry about you wondering around his home; and besides Ah-Un will not allow you to ride upon him, the only human it allows is the girl child master once toted around," the demon was so certain of himself that there was no possible way he could be wrong.

But just hearing his words caused Kagome's blood to boil, hearing the challenge she took up on it and approached the dragon that was now staring at her. "Ah-Un... would you allow me to ride you back to Sesshomaru's castle, I need to speak with Inuyasha before he tries to do something that may hurt both of them." She hesitantly watched for the dragon's reaction to her request knowing the beast of burden's moods where just as changing as her husband's. If you spoke to him harshly you ran the risk of both his mouths being unleashed on you, not to mention if you attempt to ride him in this state his scales were like razor sharp knives digging into your skin... even if you were on his saddle. But if you spoke kindly and asked for his permission rather than ordering him he was much calmer and pleasant towards you.

The dragon thought over the woman's request and quickly sized her up. He remembered the human from the very few times his master's group teamed up with his brother, this woman normally helped protect little Rin and he couldn't forget how she willing risked her life for his master's ward when that demonic sword made its appearance. He also couldn't over look the fact that lord Inuyasha has taken this woman as his mate, which meant his master has taken her under his protection also. As of right now this small human woman was the key to the dog demon clan's survival, and as lady of the West he couldn't deny her; he was also pleased when she put the little annoying demon who brought him here in his place, he secretly wished that she would leave him in the woods on their way home.

Everyone present was shocked when the large demon came out of the woods and bowed his large heads to Kagome allowing her to pet him. Kagome was ecstatic that he came to her willingly and allowing her to touch him was how he showed that he accepted her; now she had her ride to the West. Sango saw how excited her friend was about what was happening but she tried to plead with her once again," Kagome please... don't go there... it will be dangerous for you."

"I'll be careful Sango don't worry." Kagome didn't get to hear a response because once she was sitting in Ah-Un's saddle the dragon took flight, clearly ready to leave this village and head home; all Kagome could do was give a short waive before she could barely see the village, the dragon was truly fast. Luckily since she has ridden on both Inuyasha and Kirara at top speeds she was fairly used to the turbulent flight and the blur of the trees from below; but though she was comfortable with the speed the other passenger wasn't.

"Hey slow down you insolent lizard!" Kagome heard over the roar of the wind in her ears the scratchy voice of the imp demon, she turned in search of him and couldn't help but laugh when she spotted where he was; apparently when the dragon took off he wasn't expecting it and all he could do was grab on to its tail and hang on. Ah-Un wasn't pleased at the insult and to get the point across that he wouldn't stand for it, he quickly flicked his tail rapidly causing the imp to jerk free and fly off into the forest below... it seemed he was going to have to use his own under sized wings to get him back to the castle. "Stupid dragon, damn human wench, cursed dog demons... hopefully their rein won't be much longer and then us lower demons will have the last laugh."

* * *

**Note: I wasn't originally going to leave it there, but I figured I needed something to start the next chapter, not sure when that will coming out though. I want to start up again drawing fan art for this story and so far I only have one picture for chapter one, that means I'm three behind... shame on me. So you'll just have to wait and see what Sesshomaru's reaction to Inuyasha no longer going to the castle at his request, or what's going to happen when Kagome arrives in the West too... I smell trouble right there.**

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	5. Kagome visits the Western Palace

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"talking"

_'thinking'_

* * *

"You have got to be kidding me!"

"I assure you brother, this Sesshomaru does not... kid as you say," the demon lord watched his brother's less than guarded reaction to his latest news.

Inuyasha was slightly upset by what he was told since he wasn't quite sure how to react to it right now. "Well... can't you just deal with it? I don't see how this is a threat to your lands, I never knew the 'Killing Perfection' would be afraid to kill a bunch of humans," the younger dog thought he may have one upped his older brother this time; however, Sesshomaru wasn't laughing.

"Your words show just how ignorant you truly are brother, tell me... were you born with a brain inside your skull or has it been empty these past two hundred years... this Sesshomaru cannot fathom how you could survive this long if so."

Inuyasha's ears drooped, he was confused by his brother's words but wisely do not retort, knowing the other man would just belittle him again. Sesshomaru knew from the quietness in the room, which never happened when his brother was present, that Inuyasha was confused by his words. He breathed deeply wishing to gain patience before slowly explaining why he couldn't just kill the humans. "These are not normal human brother, you having travelled with both a monk and miko should know of their power combined."

"Keh, Miroku is far from being a true monk, and he rarely used his spiritual powers other than through weak sutra during our journey; even now he's not much of threat to demons. Kagome... now she would be a danger to demon kind just by herself if she were mad enough. Is that why you can't get rid of them because they are strong?"

"Not strong, this Sesshomaru could easily deal with them; however, they are smart... they are gaining favor among the human villages to the south and are quickly approaching the border. To strike one of the group now would undoubtly cause a disturbance and could cause a riot in our lands."

"They have that much power, why didn't we know about them sooner... what information do you have on them?" Inuyasha now was slightly worried about what his brother was talking about.

"We were not aware because of our focus on Naraku, not much is known yet of their intentions, Jaken has been slowly receiving information from allies in the south but all we have so far is one single human with some spiritual power is gathering others."

"That's all you have! This group could be on their way to Keade's village and seek out Kagome. I need to know what's going on so I can protect her!"

"And that is the reason why this Sesshomaru calls you to the fort to update you on what is going on. Though you may not think it, but this Sesshomaru has accepted your mating with the miko, she is a strong female and will benefit our pack and the pups she will bare are much stronger than you were as a half demon; this Sesshomaru wishes for her safety as an alpha female of the pack."

Inuyasha was shocked at this admission, his brother never spoke of caring for anyone before; of course he referred to his mate in the sense as a member of his pack rather than a person... but it was a start. "Look... I know you want to keep me informed about what is going on here and... I appreciate that I really do. But can't you... I don't know send me a letter or something telling me what's happening? I don't need to come here for every little thing; I'm risking my relationship with Kagome by continuing to come at your calls. All I am asking is that you just relax and stop summoning me every other day so I can be with her."

"This Sesshomaru shall think over your request and have an answer within the next few days."

"No... I want an answer now, because I'm leaving today, I don't want her throwing me out of our hut."

"You are truly weak... can you not last a simple few days without rutting?"

"Hey! I don't rut with Kagome, she's my mate and I respect her more than that, and I haven't been with her in nearly three moon cycles."

"You truly are weak then."

"Keh, oh yeah well that explains why you're so stuck up all the time... you ain't getting laid huh?" Now that Inuyasha got everything off his chest that he needed and knew that though Sesshomaru was trying to distract him, the demon was still thinking over his demand; but that didn't mean the men couldn't relax for the minute and just be brothers. Now that his brother wasn't trying to kill him anymore, Inuyasha found it easy to fall into the little brother roll; he is always busting Sesshomaru for one thing or another when he was in the castle away from the other clan leaders.

"This Sesshomaru does not need a female's company as it seems you do."

"HA! You're just saying that, you have no idea what it's like to have a mate, to be able to be with her all the time..."

"As I have said, this Sesshomaru is not in need of companionship at this time." Inuyasha didn't voice his opinion about who that 'companion' may be his brother was waiting for.

* * *

Kagome had never been a guest at the Western palace, when her brother-in-law had first requested her husband's attention she had wished to come as well; however, Inuyasha thought that might not be the best of ideas since the castle was full of demons and with her powers he could already sense a fight for several different reasons. So Kagome, being the good wife, obeyed his plea and never asked about it again. But of course now with this situation she had no choice but to go or Inuyasha may just get himself killed... and she didn't want a dead husband.

However when Ah-Un crested the last grove of trees all coherent thought left her mind, the castle was far more elegant than any human one their group had passed by on their journey... and of course after seeing how large the forest was surrounding it not many humans would ever lay eyes on it. _'And even if a human managed to not get lost in the forest they would never get passed the fortified walls and... are those guards!'_ Kagome was shocked by the sheer size of the men guarding the main gate of the castle; she was certain they were some type of dog demon.

She suddenly became fearful that they wouldn't allow her inside the palace and she would have no way of proving who she was and why she was there... her whole trip would have been in vain. But before she could come up with a good reason for being there, Ah-Un quickly flew over the wall and straight up the mountain of stairs landing softly right at the front door.

"Oh... well that was convenient, thank you Ah-Un!" Twin heads gave a soft growl Kagome swore sounded like a 'you're welcome'; she quickly pushed that silly thought away knowing the beast did not have the capability of the human language.

When she climbed off its back Kagome spotted a few small demons scaling the stairs; the first one to reach the landing was a raccoon dog much like that of Miroku's friend Hachi. This one though was much skinnier and his clothes matched those of the imp sent to her village. It was then Kagome realized that said demon was nowhere in sight, but she wasn't that worried he seemed like he didn't want to ride with her anyway.

"Ah-Un, what has gotten into you? You know you aren't allowed anywhere on the palace grounds other than the stables," the raccoon lightly scolded while grabbing the dragon's reins and tried to steer him back down the stairs most likely back to the stable so they don't get in trouble. Ah-Un immediately growled and started to fight the young demon, he clearly did not wish to be ordered around.

Kagome could see why there was more than one demon there now, the others in the group which consisted of other forest creatures were a fox, two otters, and another raccoon dog; but even with all five of the small animals, they couldn't control the raging dragon. "What's wrong with them? Why are they acting so strangely? If lord Sesshomaru sees him out here it'll be all our hides!" The little fox, who oddly reminded Kagome of little Shippo, bounced back and forth on his tiny back paws panicking in this situation and not helping much.

Kagome felt bad for the little ones and wanted to help, "I'm sorry, it's my fault Ah-Un was here. I asked him to bring me to the castle so I could talk to Inuyasha it was an emergency... I can assure you Sesshomaru won't be mad at you if I explain the situation."

All five demons froze in mid fight with the dragon demon upon hearing the fair voice of a maiden, and hearing her address both their lords in such familiar terms caused them to pale. Looking around Ah-Uh, the head raccoon dog was the first to speak up seeing the human woman. "W-Who are you? How did you get here?"

"I'm Kagome, Inuyasha's wi... mate; I asked Ah-Un to bring me here so I could talk to him," Kagome was a little confused as to why they wouldn't know her; surely Inuyasha would have mentioned he was married right?

The raccoon didn't seem convinced of her explanation but both otter demons scurried over and quickly sniffed around her jean clad legs, "She speaks the truth Aki; she carries lord Inuyasha's scent about her."

Hearing the confirmation the other demons suddenly dropped to the ground in a bow, "Please lady Kagome forgive us lowly servants for our disrespect, we will gladly accept lord Inuyasha's sword upon our necks."

"We would! Who agreed to that!"

"Be quiet Goro, it is not our decision if our lords wish to end our lives," the lead raccoon scolded the little fox, who looked about ready to cry.

"No one is ending anyone's life while I'm here, you've done nothing wrong and therefore Sesshomaru has no reason to attack you... I will see to it that he doesn't," Kagome couldn't believe she heard such a thing, surely Sesshomaru couldn't hurt them because they didn't know who she was... it wasn't their fault no one told them.

"Thank you my lady, you are very generous to these lowly servants. Please excuse us now, but we must take Ah-Un back to the stables before our lord sees him here," all the little animals bowed again and went back to attending to the dragon, this time they were less forceful and allowed him to move when he was ready.

"Well it was nice meeting you!" Kagome waived and then turned back to the grand doors of the palace. _'Okay girl you can do this,'_ giving herself a little mental pep-talk, then she opened the door and was ready for anything.

Aki paused on the stairs when he heard the door of the castle squeak signaling it had been opened, he immediately thought one of the lords had come out and they were surely angry seeing the stable workers in the court yard; as lead stable boy he would take on the punishment for his fellow companions. But when he turned to begin to beg for forgiveness he was horrified to see the nice human girl was the one entering the castle, "Lady Kagome no!"

But it was too late, before any of them could reach the landing again the door closed and they weren't allowed inside no matter what; there was a reason humans didn't come to the palace, even the young Rin wasn't allowed here, the demons of the castle guard and those that lived inside didn't tolerate humans... Aki could only hope the nice woman would be spared their terrible wrath.

* * *

_'Wow this place is huge,'_ Kagome was breathless upon gazing at the inside of the castle; she kind of found it hard to believe that Sesshomaru would decorate his palace in such a way. Though he was somewhat of a more feminine demon in appearance, Kagome wasn't going to lie if it weren't for the armor he wears when she first met him she thought he may have been a woman; but besides that he was still a man and men had no desire to make their homes look elegant.

While she was busy admiring the painted mural on the wall of a grand dog demon fighting a massive dragon, she assumed the dog being Inuyasha and Sesshomaru's late father, a small pixie like demon came out of one of the many doors along the wall. In its hands was a wooden tray with several small bottles of demon sake, lord Sesshomaru and his brother were currently in discussion and requested a drink; however, when he spotted Kagome standing there he dropped his tray and its content in shock.

Hearing the crash startled Kagome and she turned to see the pixie demon staring at her, "Oh are you alright? I'm sorry if I surprised you... um maybe you could help me, I'm looking for Inuyasha, and he came to talk with his brother?" Her smile faded when he didn't respond and just kept staring. _'Okay... don't answer me, maybe he doesn't speak the human language, I guess I'm on my own,'_ Kagome didn't have time to waste on the little creature so she turned away again and started toward a small hallway in search of her mate.

"Hu... human! Human!" the pixie finally fall out of his shock and sounded the alarm, humans were not allowed to set foot in the castle and if any did they were immediately taken care of; hearing the call several guards from another room came running in baring their swords.

Hearing the clanking of armor and cries of 'humans' Kagome turned to face the little demon again, _'So he can speak, then why did he ignor... oh boy.'_ She paled when she saw the guards and their weapons aimed at her, "Um... h-hi?"

"Kill the human!" One of the guards, whom Kagome couldn't pin point, shouted and all hell broke loose.

_'Oh god what have I gotten myself into, why didn't I listen to Sango and stay home... Inuyasha help me!'_ Kagome flinched and braced herself for the attack. While waiting for the swords and claws to tear into her flesh, she heard a loud crash followed by a large gust of wind and then and even louder roar right next to her that sounded very familiar; opening her eyes, Kagome was surprised to see the large, green, scaly hide of Ah-Uh's back facing her. The dragon was standing between her and the guards growling and preventing them from getting to her; somehow he managed to get his muzzles off both his heads and sparks of light were licking his fangs threatening to burst forth and fry anyone who dare come closer to his mistress.

"Ah-Uh, that is a human you are protecting, lord Sesshomaru hates them and doesn't want them in the palace!"

Before Kagome could protest and announce just who she was, another voice from a door behind her, "Ka-Kagome?"

Kagome turned hearing the confused but still recognizable voice all the same, "Inuyasha!" Ignoring the danger at her back, Kagome ran and embraced her man, burring her face in his chest.

Inuyasha was speechless at what he was seeing, when Sesshomaru and he heard the commotion just outside of the door they thought a random human had stumbled upon the palace after being lost in the forest; Inuyasha knew the fate of the mortals who sought refuge in this demon castle and at first he had tried to stop it but now he knew there was no point and just accepted what was to happen. He knew his mate wouldn't be pleased if she ever found out he was allowing humans to be killed, but what she didn't know now wouldn't hurt her.

The brothers were about to continue their conversation when Sesshomaru's pet dragon roared just on the other side of the door, which drew their curiosity because Ah-Un wasn't allowed to be inside the castle for any reason. Inuyasha was the first out of his chair and to the door, and seeing his mate standing behind the protective dragon brought him to call out her name.

Now that she was protectively in his arms is when a growl ripped forth from his throat, "Are you all incompetent! You dare knowingly attack my mate!" Inuyasha was furious, and if Kagome wasn't in his arms that minute he would have shade the blood of these demons across the walls.

"M-my lord forgive us, we did not know she was your mate," the guard from before spoke up as the whole group bowed in respect to their lord; however, that wasn't enough to cool Inuyasha rage.

"You didn't know! You didn't know, how could you not! She carries my scent on her as well as my mark; there is no excuse for your betrayal!"

"Brother, your anger is blinding your somewhat normal clear mind, use your nose as you should," Sesshomaru's always calm voice came from a few feet behind his brother.

"What are you talking about?"

"The strange clothes your woman wears blocks her scent." Sesshomaru was now clearly annoyed that his brother wasn't using his brain... well at least the one in his head.

Inuyasha pulled Kagome away to look at what she was wearing, the only strange clothes his mate wore that his brother ever saw was her school uniform, but when making the decision to live in this era she left that back in the future. She had taken to wearing clothes from this era rather quickly and that was one of the reasons why Inuyasha was always buying her fabric on his many trips; so to say he was a little shocked to see her in those jean things she explained to him about was an understatement.

Her attire explained the whole situation, the thick material that made the pants concealed Kagome's scent and prevented the demons from smelling his scent on her... the minute they got back to the hut he was tearing those things apart so she could never wear them again.

Now that the situation was understood, Sesshomaru sent the guards away and though he was angry that Ah-Uh had disobeyed his direct order to never enter the castle, he didn't punish the beast for protecting a member of his pack; and said dragon understood the line it crossed and once the threat to his mistress was gone he left the palace and headed back to the stables.

* * *

"Kagome, what are you doing here? Do you realize that you could have just been killed! I told you not to come here ever," Inuyasha's conversation with his brother was over for the moment since Kagome was there. The last time they talked he was under the impression that she wouldn't speak to him again until after he returned from the West permanently, but to see her here and knowing she came all the way out here to see him gave him a little hope that she wasn't as angry as yesterday... though he was still mad that she nearly got herself killed by doing it.

To talk to her properly and in private, Inuyasha took his wife out to the koi garden in the center of the palace; no demon would dare interrupt them because they feared his temper and Sesshomaru never came out here anyway so they could be alone.

"But I had to come Inuyasha; I don't want you challenging Sesshomaru for his position as pack leader... I don't want you to risk your life because you may think that I think you're not strong enough to be my mate."

"What!"

"But you are Inuyasha, you're the strongest man I know and what I said yesterday I wasn't rejecting you, just please don't risk your life because of my mouth," Kagome practically jumped on his lap and nearly knocked him into the fish pond that he was sitting on the edge of.

When he was able to balance both his and her extra weight enough so they wouldn't get wet, or drown in the deep water of the pond, Kagome had already semi sort of permanently attached herself to his chest and was crying yet again. "Kagome..."

"Please... please promise me you won't challenge him and if you already have then recant it and apologize; maybe if I beg him he'll let you out of the deal."

"Okay wait hold on, first... even if I did challenge my brother there would be no possible way to get out of it... that type of fight is to the death. And two... what gave you that idea that I came here to challenge him anyway? I'm not dumb Kagome I know I wouldn't be able to fight him for it and I don't want it, I can't handle that responsibility... what goes on in that head of yours mate?" Inuyasha couldn't help the chuckle that left him just thinking about how worried she was for him, he pulled her tighter to his chest basking in the feel of her there and knowing he had the right to touch her after such a long time.

"But Sango told me that was why you stormed out of the village last night... and your aura was murderous after I left Keade's hut." Kagome relaxed a little more hearing him say that he wasn't planning on challenging Sesshomaru.

"I was mad because you were upset and you weren't letting me help you. And what the hell has Sango been sniffing! I swear that pup is messing with her brain because she has been jumping to conclusions about things all month and the last thing I need is her filling your head with crazy thoughts like that."

"So... you didn't come to challenge him?" Kagome pulled her face from Inuyasha's shoulder where it was resting; wanting to look into his eyes to make sure he wasn't lying to her.

"No... I don't want to be head alpha, it's bad enough I'm his heir as of the moment, he really needs a pup of his own so I don't have to be that either," Inuyasha was happy that she was no longer crying and less tense than before, he began raking his claws through her hair a new favorite hobby of his when he was home.

"So then... why were you so mad last night?"

"Keh, I already told you why, you were hurting and I couldn't help you... what kind of mate am I if I can't even do that?"

"You're a great mate, and I'm just selfish for putting so much pressure on you."

"Hey," Inuyasha captured her chin and tilted her face to look at him so she knew he wanted her full attention when he spoke, "You are my mate, my wife, my queen, my woman, and my other half... you are everything but selfish. And what you said yesterday was true, you have been extremely patient with all the crap I've put you through and you shouldn't have to deal with that anymore. That's why I'm here; I came to tell Sesshomaru to stop summoning me so frequently so we can have time together and maybe... start our family."

Hearing the possibility of children, Kagome couldn't stop the hope that built up inside of her even before hearing what Sesshomaru's response was, "Really... you asked him, well what did he say?"

"Well... we actually didn't finish talking about it, Ah-Un's roar interrupted us and for good reason too."

"So... he didn't answer you?" Kagome ignored her mate's banter, wanting to get to the main point at hand.

"No he didn't, but I will bring it back up at dinner tonight."

"Dinner?"

"Of course, I've been on the road for nearly two days straight and haven't eaten a thing... I expect that ass of a brother to feed me for coming all the way out here on such short notice, and of course you are staying too." Kagome didn't argue with him having felt she already caused him enough trouble for one day.

* * *

Kagome wasn't surprised when Inuyasha brought her to his own private quarters in the castle, he was here more often than at the village and for days on end so he needed somewhere to sleep; however, upon entering the room she was speechless. "These are your living quarters?"

"Keh yeah what you expect? The bastard and I might not get along very often, but he still got to give me a place to sleep while I'm here... but it's nothing like our hut."

"Are you kidding me? Just look at this room, I'm pretty sure our whole hut could fit in here... is that a hot spring out there!" Kagome had been thoroughly examining the princely quarters and happened to open the one shoji screen door that lead to her husband's own private hot spring.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his mate's over excitement over simple hot water, he knew she would love that most about the room; since their hut was in the village rarely were Sango and she allowed to enjoy the hot springs at the other end of his forest, they had to make do with the cold river water like all the other women. With her unnatural obsession for bathing every day, Inuyasha could see the fury in his woman's eyes now that she knew while she was freezing her bum off and going longer than she would have like to bath during the winter since the lake froze, her husband was living it up in his own private Jacuzzi.

"Feh, you know those things are too hot for me... I rarely use it. And of course our hut is better than this place... you're there," Inuyasha turned his gaze to the floor; he hated embarrassing himself even in front of her.

Hearing his words caused Kagome's anger to completely melt away, "Aw Inuyasha that's so swe-."

"And who else am I going to get a decent meal from... food here sucks."

Kagome couldn't help the twitch that began to form at his words,_ 'And there he goes... he was doing so good today and then he just had to shove his foot in mouth.'_ "Inuyasha... sit boy!"

"Ah!"

_Thump!_

Once Inuyasha pulled himself out of the dent in the floor he made he quickly went over the conversation they just had in his head and was confused about where he screwed up... he was still puzzled when Jaken appeared at the door to announce dinner was prepared.

"I see your mate is putting you in your place brother," Sesshomaru teased when the pair sat at the low table in the dining area.

A small yip snapped out of Inuyasha's mouth at his brother's comment, followed closely by a growl, "Shut up Sesshomaru, at least I have a mate to keep me in line and make me stronger!"

"Inuyasha that's not nice!" Kagome's scolding went unnoticed by her mate as Inuyasha just continued on.

"Keh... so have you made your decision yet oh great lord of the west?"

"Inuyasha!"

"This Sesshomaru is rather tempted to change his mind about the decision he has come to upon this matter," the older demon watched the expressions on both his guests faces; he loved having others lives under his control. He was pleased when Kagome stopped drinking her tea to await his answer, hope evident in her eyes; however, Inuyasha completely ignored him and continued to pick at what was being afford as their meal.

Being a full demon now, Inuyasha was able to handle eating raw and freshly killed animals that were brought to the feasts the council normally had, he preferred his meat cooked however because that's how he normally ate it, and was often made fun of for it by the others demons. Tonight's dinner however, since Kagome was human and not able to eat raw meat because it could kill her, everything was cooked for her benefit... but it still didn't please him, nothing but Kagome's own cooking ever pleased him.

"Can't even cook damn noodles, the one thing I ask to be added and those idiots can't even do that," he was mumbling under his breath as he pinched a dumpling between his claws and popped it into his mouth.

"If the meal does not please you brother, then you are not being forced to eat it," Sesshomaru's sharp elf like ears picked up Inuyasha's complaint loud and clear, and having already witnessed how his mouth gets him in trouble with his mate Sesshomaru wished to bring his comments to Kagome's attention.

"Inuyasha don't be rude, you were the one that said you were hungry," Kagome couldn't believe how rude her mate was being, with his attitude she feared her brother-in-law may deny his request for them to have time to be left alone... it was like he was purposely doing this to anger his brother.

"Ah relax Kagome, I do this every time I eat here, he's use to it. So what did you decided brother?" Inuyasha wasn't the least bit threatened by the other demon, he already made it clear that he was done being summoned here so it didn't matter what Sesshomaru decided.

Aware of his brother's less than elegant partake on the matter, Sesshomaru decided to finally announce his decision, "You are aware of the threat to the lands already... I suppose this Sesshomaru can allow you a few months with your mate without interruption... however should the humans cross into our lands you will be required to attend any meeting the council holds," Sesshomaru held no room for argument in his tone, but of course Inuyasha still had to fight because he never liked to submit to anyone.

"Feh, I'll think about it, or I could just steal Kagome away and hide... even with your nose you wouldn't be able to find us."

"Inuyasha stop it," Kagome was afraid Sesshomaru would suddenly change his mind; though it may have been only a few months of peace she wasn't complaining about what she could get at the moment... she was that desperate. But she didn't miss the demon lord's main concern, something was threatening their lands and him being worried about it meant it was big. Knowing she would be ignored if she questioned either man at the present time, Kagome remained silent and finished her meal; however, her worry only grew the longer she sat there... she decided to corner Inuyasha and make him spill everything once they were back in his quarters... oh and he would tell her everything she wanted to know, it was going to be a long night.

* * *

**Note: I realize that the past few chapters have been a little boring... this chapter was really boring me when I was writing it, but bare with me here it will get interesting. I'm trying to just establish what is going on here first before the real action happens. The next chapter will have a time skip in it, I'll again mention it in the beginning of that chapter, just to speed things along. The main part of this chapter I wanted to get across that there is a human threat to the Western lands that will be coming up soon. Again sorry if I'm boring you, it will get better!**

**Aki- bright/autumn (the lead stable boy, raccoon)  
Goro- fifth son (the little fox demon)**

**Thanks to:  
**Elizabeth Roses  
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**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up!**


	6. Visiting old friends

**Don't own Inuyasha... cries .o.o.**

"talking"

_'thinking'_

**Note: Like I said there's a time skip in this chapter, it's about five months after chapter 5 so it's near the end of August or the summer season. It may be slightly confusing at first because Inuyasha is going over the last few months in his mind in the beginning of the chapter, while it's really August if you get what I'm saying. So remember it's been five months since chapter 5!**

* * *

_'It's been nearly two months and still nothing... what am I doing wrong?'_ Inuyasha sat at the mouth of the cave he and Kagome had taken up residence in for the past eight weeks. Sitting in only his hakama due to the summer heat, he quietly watched the sun rise over the trees from the forest below him; though the sun warmed his skin farther it did little else to comfort his troubled mind.

**Five months ago...**

After Kagome's unplanned visit to the Western palace and Sesshomaru surprisingly gave him time to be with his mate, the couple left the castle in a hurried pace back to their hut to gather much needed supplies for their trip. Like Inuyasha had said he wasn't just keeping them in the village for their alone time, there were too many distractions and people that could possibly interrupt them. Plus Inuyasha wasn't convinced that his brother would keep his word and leave them be, he wasn't taking that chance.

Kagome was excited about this unannounced travelling trip, she quickly made a plan to visit all their friends while they were away from home; Inuyasha wasn't too happy when she explained what she wanted to do their first few months together.

"Why do you what go visit people? I thought you wanted to spend all our time 'alone' with just me?" Inuyasha pouted while leaning against the hut's wall watching his mate pack her yellow bag with some clothes, his shoulders slumped while all his fantasies about her and him in the woods 'exploring' each other's bodies started to vanish from his mind.

"And I do Inuyasha, but other than going to the castle I haven't been out of the village since Naraku was killed... and I really want to see how everyone else is doing; aren't you worried about our friends?"

"Keh, they can fend for themselves just fine," Inuyasha mumbled under his breath not wanting her to hear him; though he was mad he knew he couldn't deny her wish because a happy Kagome would make for a happy Inuyasha at night, so he agreed to take her to all the places she wanted.

The first person they met up with was Jinenji because he lived closest to their village, the gentle giant was extremely happy to see his friends, his mother however was a little put off that Inuyasha was now a full demon instead of the half demon he was born as. "So the whole preaching sermon act you two put on the last time you were here was a lie huh... doesn't surprise me much."

"What you say old woman!"

"Inuyasha!"

"Mother, please don't upset our friends," the horse half demon never liked fights and tried to avoid them as much as possible.

"It was only a matter of time before the jewel you were chasing after became too tempting and you would use it for yourself."

"Look you old hag, I didn't use anything!" Inuyasha was tired of the third degree he was getting by this human woman that he didn't even like very much.

Kagome could see the restrain her mate was using so as to not lash out at the elderly human... she put her hand on his forearm to try and soothe him. "Inuyasha didn't use the jewel to become a full demon, it was destroyed the day Naraku was killed. We don't know why it happened but Inuyasha changed the night we... we became mates," she blushed deeply still not quite comfortable with explaining how Inuyasha suddenly transformed.

"Mates..." Jinenji had always been simple minded but his basic instincts always told him about mating and how it was performed; seeing how embarrassed his friend was he knew not to continue down that path in conversation... but he was still happy for the both of them.

"So you took the pure priestess as your wife, there's bound to be some fall back down the road, the kami probably are mad that you took one of theirs for your own," again the eldest person in the small hut spoke up, angering the demon lord. Jinenji and Kagome stepped in again to defuse the situation, by then Kagome decided it was time that they leave... they had a few more people to visit before they went to where ever Inuyasha wanted to hide her away.

Over the next few weeks they travelled all over the country to meet up with people they met on their year long journey. They visited little Shiori and her mother and were pleased to find out after the whole ordeal with the bat demon tribe the villagers had become a lot nicer to the small family. The pair then went in search, despite Inuyasha's immense displeasure, of Hojo; Inuyasha never liked the clumsy human boy because he had a thing for Kagome. Come to find out when they finally found him at his family's home he had gotten married; Inuyasha was more relieved knowing this, the woman was pretty by human standards but she was no Kagome.

Though it did tick him off that the girl was pregnant, who would have thought that idiot would be able to father a child; Kagome too was upset about the pregnancy but she hid it knowing that with this baby brought the next generation of the Hojo family and one step closer to the polite boy she once went to school with; she couldn't however cover her flinch when she found out that the girl had the same name as her, that would explain the whole situation she feared several months back. Hojo invited them to stay for as long as they wished, but when he decided to explain how he and his wife met Inuyasha realized the human was still hooked on his mate... he wasn't going to stand for him ogling his woman the whole time they were there.

The last 'friend' they went to see was even worse than the human, and Inuyasha was putting his foot down on this request. "No Kagome, I'm not doing it!"

"Oh come on Inuyasha you promised."

"I said I would take you to see our friends... that mangy wolf ain't one of them."

"Stop it, Koga is our friend and I want to see if Ayame had the baby yet."

"That's one of the reasons I don't want to go up there, I don't need their brat making my ears bleed with its wailing." The truth was the dog demon didn't want to be anywhere near Koga at this moment, he knew every minute he was stuck in that cave would be torture because he would be constantly reminded about the fact that Koga got his mate pupped before he did.

"Why would the baby be screaming that badly? Surely Ayame would calm the child before that happened," Kagome wasn't buying Inuyasha's excuse and they were going to the northern mountains.

"Would it really need a reason to cry, Koga's its old man... enough said."

"Inuyasha that's not nice, I'm sure Koga is a wonderful father... are you going to be this crabby when we have children?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched at the mention of pups, they haven't really talked about them since they left the village, but Kagome bringing them up was a good sign, "Keh, our pups won't be like that."

"Oh really... you're so sure of that huh? You do realize that until they are able to talk all they will be doing is crying."

"They won't do that because they are my pups... I didn't cry. And besides they'll be half demons, it's their survival instincts to remain quiet while I'm not around."

"Yes yours pups will be silent little angels... until we want to sleep, and that's another good reason to go visit Koga... you can get experience caring for a baby."

Inuyasha didn't miss how she brought the topic back to going and seeing the wolves, "I don't need practice in raising pups… it's all instinct."

"Right... Inuyasha, we're still going so get over it," Kagome had the last word.

* * *

"Wow mutt face, never thought you'd dare set foot on my lands... Kagome you look as beautiful as ever," Koga's voice bounced off the many rock walls and cliffs of the mountains as Inuyasha made his way up to one of the many caves of the wolf demon tribe.

The hairs on the back of Inuyasha's neck rose and his ears folded back at the insult thrown his way and the compliment sent to his mate... this visit was already starting off bad. "What land is yours wolf, the last time I checked the old geezers of the north were still breathing."

"Always the foul mouth aren't you mutt, and here you're supposed to be your brother's heir to the West? Kagome how can you honestly wish to stay with him... you should be treated liked a princess and yet you still live in that human village; my offer still stands about you living here with me," Koga smirked extending his hand to help her up on to the ledge where the cave was.

"I'm quite fine where I'm at Koga but I'd watch who you flirt with and remember you have a mate already," Kagome giggled knowing Koga was merely joking with her even if her mate wasn't too happy about it.

"Yeah he better not be sniffing around any other females' furs," a feminine voice came from farther into the cave.

"Hello Ayame, how are you?" Kagome walked over to the other female happy to see her friend.

"Oh I'm fine, trying to get my weight back to normal after birthing the cub seven nights ago."

"Oh you had the baby! May I see?" Kagome was extremely excited about the news; Inuyasha however could feel his stomach in his throat at Koga's smirk.

Once everyone was settled in the cave, Ayame brought the week old cub out for their friends to see. Since it is a very vulnerable time when females birth cubs they normally hide away from the rest of the pack until the cub or cubs are able to defend themselves. Though Ayame was the princess of the northern wolf tribe and her mate was the next in line to rule, she was still cautions with her baby; of course Kagome being human, she wasn't a threat to the infant.

"Oh Ayame..." Kagome could barely contain herself seeing the baby, the small wolf cub was wrapped in a white fur blanket but the miko could still see the baby's pointed elf ears and its light brown hair a top the tiny head.

"This is Sayuri, the newest princess of the northern wolf tribe," Ayame proudly displayed her baby girl to her friend, having been alone in this cave away from the rest of the clan for nearly a mouth she missed the praise she had received while she was carrying the cub, she liked that the other girl was fawning over her and her baby.

"She is adorable... look at those tiny hands, oh she's so cute!"

"You know Kagome... I'd be glad to give you a cub of your own if you really adore her."

"Watch your mouth wolf, I wouldn't want to have to spill your blood in front of your mate and pup," Inuyasha's aura flared in challenge to the rival male's words, any pup Kagome had would be his.

"You'll have to get in line for that Inuyasha because if he even thinks about planting his seed anywhere else I will make sure he doesn't sire anymore cubs," Ayame released a bitter growl, Koga was really pushing her buttons right now.

"Koga, I warned you not to upset Ayame, and I am quite certain I can wait for Inuyasha to give me a child thank you," Kagome was firm in her words, then she went back to baby talking to the infant, who would every now and then give off soft yips and whimpers speaking to the human woman in wolf language that Kagome wasn't aware of.

While the women were inside with the cub, the men moved to the cave entrance to talk. "So... you got a girl pup huh?" Inuyasha couldn't hold back his smirk, he felt a lot better knowing his rival's first child wasn't a boy.

"Yeah so what if I did... she's perfect, and I have all the time I need to have an heir so I ain't worried; hell at the rate you're going I'll probably have a whole litter before you have one. Why ain't Kagome cubbed yet, you lacking there mutt face?"

Inuyasha angrily swiped at the wolf, causing the other demon to jump away or risk a nonfatal but annoying wound for a day. "I ain't lacking anything wolf, I have been extremely busy with Sesshomaru dragging me back and forth to the palace... I haven't had time to properly pup her."

"Properly... what do you have some romantic plan to set up in order to do it; that's your problem right there, all you need to do is take her when she's in heat... it don't matter where you are. Ayame and I were on our way home from visiting the southern tribe when she went into hers and I took her right on the forest floor," Koga smirked as he went over the memory in his mind.

"Yeah... shows how much you know wolf, that might be fine for a demon but Kagome's human... she wouldn't want to be ravaged in the forest," Inuyasha didn't bring up the fact that the night he took Kagome as his mate he did it at the base of the Goshinboku... but that was very romantic. No he refused to turn into one of those lust craved demons that took females unwillingly in the forest... it was thoughts like that, that drew Inuyasha's mind to unanswered questions of his past.

"Yo mutt, are you even listening to me?" Koga's growl drew Inuyasha from his thoughts and back to their conversation.

"What wolf?"

"You insult me about my mating habits and then you zone out!"

"What are you yipping at me for now? And who insults who, every other word out of your mouth is a... you know what never mind, with your dense skull you wouldn't understand anyway. Look you're a demon and your mate is a demon, of which during your mating time your instincts run your body and she don't care where you take her, but Kagome's different. She's human and their ideas and ours are completely different, I need to woo her with gifts and a quiet village that we can hide away in for a few months; that way when she does go into heat she'll at least have a futon to lay on."

"Ah... I think you've been hanging around those humans a tad bit too long, who you getting your advice from that monk friend of yours?"

"I sometimes help Miroku with killing demons that attack villages and he sometimes tells me how he wooed Sango, his way seemed to work since she's pupped too."

"Haha, humans really surprise me, demons can always scent when our mates are ready to be cubbed, those skin sacks just stumble upon the perfect time to cub their women... by any chance have you ever talked to Kagome about what you think she would find romantic?" Koga dropped to sit beside the dog demon on the ground just outside of the cave, Ayame had moved farther back into the cave with the baby and most likely Kagome had followed since she hadn't come out to talk to them; this gave the men time to speak a little more freely with them out of ear shot.

Inuyasha too sensed when the girls moved and became suspicious when Koga came closer, he sensed an awkward conversation coming, "And what would you know about it, just because you flirted with Kagome a few times while we were hunting Naraku doesn't mean you know her... or what she would want, I'm her mate and I've been with her for far longer than anyone else has."

"Yeah you may have known her first but have you talked to her recently? I have, when I went to check up on her in the winter, which you weren't there might I add, she seemed upset so I asked her."

"She was upset... what you do wolf?"

"It wasn't me who upset her mutt face, it was you! I'm not happy to admit it but when she saw me she was hoping it was you. I asked her why she was upset and she said she missed you... you have no idea how uncomfortable it was to have to sit there and listen to her cry about you; I told you if you ever hurt her again I'd kill you... so what the hell was keeping you away from her for so long?"

"I already told you Sesshomaru kept summoning me back to the castle to-."

"That's crap mutt, since when did you roll over and submit to anyone?"

"Shut up wolf, I didn't have a choice, with Naraku dead Sesshomaru now is focusing on the lands he inherited and he won't stop bugging me to help him; you have no idea how much I would rather be with Kagome than him," Inuyasha's shoulders slumped thinking about how upset his mate has been thiese past couple months.

"You know... there are a lot of empty caves up in the mountains that we don't use, if you wanted to take up one with Kagome for a while no wolf will question it; I'm pretty sure Ayame would like it if Kagome stayed close by since we'll be away from the rest of the tribe till the cub is a few moons old. And since the summer season is coming soon it's a lot cooler up here than down in a smelly human village, being a demon now I doubt you will be welcomed into a human settlement anyway," Koga looked away from the dog demon and farther up the mountain, this was his way of trying to help his friend in his situation.

"Keh, I don't need to be smelling wolves every minute I'm trying to be with my mate."

"The caves closest to the forest haven't had the tribe in them for years, and I'm pretty sure it don't matter to Kagome where to two of you are so long as you're with her... trust me on this mutt."

"Keh whatever..." Inuyasha's response caused the wolf to smirk, he knew the dog wasn't dumb and would eventually take him up on his offer, with any luck his cub will have a playmate in the next few months.

* * *

Inuyasha hated Koga's idea merely because he thought of it, if Kagome heard she might have jumped at the idea so Inuyasha was thankful she wasn't present when the wolf suggested it. No offence to the wolf demons and their culture but Kagome deserved more than a dark, cold cave to spend time with him in; and after seeing her excitement over his chambers in the Western palace for only being there one day, Inuyasha knew he needed to top that in their vacationing spot for the next few months.

But despite his wishes and the best heartfelt intentions, it was all a loss. Inuyasha took Kagome to the closest human village for the night, after visiting the wolves, but the second they sent foot in the little town the villagers saw what Inuyasha was and chased them out with pitch forks.

"Damn, what the hell is their problem!" Inuyasha placed Kagome on her feet when they were a safe distance from the humans, he began to pace rapidly back and forth to calm himself; he wasn't angry they attacked him because he was use it his whole life when he was a half demon, no... what angered him was that they dared to harm his mate.

Kagome was shocked though not angry like her husband, she had never been chased out of a human village like she had the plague... she just couldn't understand, "Now Inuyasha calm down, maybe they think we're wolf demon that want to hurt them, just because Koga has vowed to not eat humans doesn't mean the northern tribe has."

_'Yeah Kagome that's the reason,'_ Inuyasha didn't want to crush her innocent mind with logical fact... he was the reason they were chased out.

They tried a few more villages farther away from the wolf demon clan but they were all the same, the minute a villager would spot Inuyasha all hell would break loose. "Damn-it!"

"Inuyasha, it's okay we don't need to stay in a village, I'm perfectly fine with camping out in the woods... under the stars with you," Kagome smiled and gently stroked her mate's fire rat covered chest, hoping to calm him down some.

But of course Inuyasha was stubborn and didn't understand Kagome's meaning behind her words, "Keh, we need shelter for the night... I smell rain."

"Well I'm sure we can find something before it happens... Ayame said there were a few caves in the mountains we could always-."

"No, I refuse to bring you to some smelly wolf cave for even one night."

Kagome could sense the tension coming off of her mate but she couldn't figure out why he was so angry about her suggestion. "Inuyasha, it's not that big of a deal we use to camp out in caves all the time when we were searching for the jewel, what's the difference now?"

"The difference now is you're my mate now... you deserve better than a cave floor to spend our nights together," Inuyasha pulled Kagome close and buried his nose in her neck to calm himself down.

Kagome gentle combed her fingers through his hair to try and help soothe him farther, "Inuyasha, I don't care where we are as long as we're together... it can be in the woods, our hut, or a smelly wolf cave... I don't care," she brushed his bangs away before kissing his forehead and giving his left ear a tweak.

Even with Kagome's okay Inuyasha still refused to bring her back to the northern caves; however, Kagome's health was far more important than his own pride. It had begun to rain earlier than Inuyasha thought and the couple was trapped in the torrential downpour. To the dog demon a little water was nothing, yeah without soap his hair would smell a little odd for a few hours, but he could live with that. But Kagome was human and couldn't be in it for too long... it was his job to keep her safe. Travelling in the storm was out of the question, but they were too far away from their village to even chance it and no village in the area would allow them to enter... it didn't leave them much choice.

_'I can't believe we've been reduced to this.'_ Inuyasha bit back his thoughts as he yet again scaled the rocky terrain of one of the smaller northern mountains; Kagome was wrapped securely in his haori safely in his arms while he shielded her from the elements. The cave wasn't much, as Inuyasha feared, but it was dry and didn't smell of wolf or any other animal had used it recently so it would do for the night.

"See Inuyasha, it's not bad here... I think it's rather cozy and we're alone."

Inuyasha caught the intent behind her words and growled in frustration, he knew Kagome wanted to indulge in more intimate pleasures other than kissing... they hadn't been together in so long, but he couldn't bring himself to take her in this place. To quell his urges Inuyasha ran back out into the storm to gather fire wood to warm the cave and to cool himself down some. _'This is going to be a long night.'_

**

* * *

**

Present...

And it was a long night... a long few nights, sitting at the cave entrance now Inuyasha thought back to the previous two months. The night it rained and trapped them there, the kami clearly loved to torture him... it rained for two days straight. Inuyasha was a complete gentleman for those days, much to his mate's displeasure... he wouldn't even cuddle with her by the fire and she wasn't having it.

**Two months ago...**

"Inuyasha whatever phobia you have about caves please get over it and come cuddle with me," Kagome patted the bedding they had brought with them, "I miss you."

"Kagome, you don't understand how hard it is for me to just sit here and keep myself from touching you." Inuyasha fidgeted in his spot trying to cover up the evidence of his arousal from his wife.

"Inuyasha, don't you get it! I want you to touch me; I want you to hold me... I want you to make love to me," Kagome laid back on the bedding to get more attention... when the little whine left her lips Inuyasha cracked and pounced giving her her much needed satisfaction well into the night.

**Present...**

_'I don't think I'll ever admit this out loud, but Kagome was right... it didn't matter where we were just that we were together and uninterrupted.'_ And since Inuyasha didn't tell Sesshomaru where they would be, and no one would think the dog demon would be in his oldest rival's territory, nobody would come looking for them... it was perfect.

Two months they had been calling the cave their home, Inuyasha was able to sneak back into the village to give their friends an update since they had been gone for the better part of five months. He was rather shocked seeing how large Sango had gotten during their absence, seeing her now confirmed Inuyasha's first thought... her pregnancy wasn't normal, she was only five months but she looked farther along than that. He didn't want to frighten the young couple so he didn't say anything; he wanted to talk to Kagome, because she may know what is going on with her future knowledge, before he brought it to their attention.

And seeing their friend's very pupped belly reminded Inuyasha that Kagome would be seeing it when she got back, and if she wasn't pupped as well it would truly cause her grief. So after informing their friends and begging them not to tell his brother, should Sesshomaru send someone, Inuyasha quickly returned to his mate to get started on that pup.

Of course being a demon had many benefits, with his ultra sensitive senses he was able to pick up the different distinctive changes in his mate's scent... granite he was able to do this even before they were mates and it probably would have helped him receive less 'sits' in their first year, he was too dense to get that fact. But now he was far more in tuned to her body and could pick the exact moment her would be able to take his seed, this lessen the times they needed to have sex to make the pup but Inuyasha didn't give up that information because he liked the random times Kagome would get that lusty look in her eye and they would just go at it. Another good quality demons had, especially canine ones, was their stamina; human males needed rest after one round and sometimes they couldn't continue even after that. Inuyasha wasn't a god but he could say for certain that Kagome was thoroughly satisfied after their nights... and days together.

**A month ago...**

It was a quiet night after an eventful afternoon when Inuyasha brought up the worry he had over Sango's pregnancy. Kagome was checking the roasting rabbit that he had caught earlier for their dinner and Inuyasha was laying on their bedding enjoying the view of his woman in only his haori. "Kagome... are there different scents a female's body admits while pupped?"

Kagome paused in testing the meat to look over her shoulder at her husband, "What? What do you mean by different scents, you said you could tell when a woman was pregnant... what other scents do you mean?"

Inuyasha sat up to give Kagome his full attention, "When we were hunting Naraku and the jewel we stopped in a lot of villages and there were plenty of pupped women... they all smelled the same. But Sango... her scent is different than theirs, and when I went back to the village she looked larger than any other women at five months... I fear something is off."

"Have you told Miroku or Sango about your worries, what about Keade?"

"I don't want to worry them if it was nothing to be concerned over... I didn't have time to question the old woman." Inuyasha stood and took the rabbit off the fire before it burned and began pulling the meat apart, hand feeding Kagome small pieces.

"Well if it is serious then we should head home and-."

"No, I don't think it's that serious I don't sense a sickness in her just a clash of scents in her body. We can stay here for another month and nothing will happen... trust me." Inuyasha didn't bring up Sango and kept Kagome quite busy for the next month.

**Present...**

"Inuyasha?"

The dog demon was drawn to the soft coo from inside the cave; Kagome was laying in the messing bedding with the blankets as her only cover for her bare body. Inuyasha smiled, his ego swelling knowing the first thought in Kagome's mind was him when she woke in the morning. Seeing she was comfortable where she was, and yet still seeking him out, he stood from his position and moved to her side, "I'm right here mate," he gently brushed her hair out of her face and smiled seeing her blush.

"What's the matter? Normally you're in bed with me in the morning... especially after nights like that; and yet you weren't right now." She gave a slight pout, knowing acting childish always made Inuyasha tell her what is on his mind.

"Kagome, I just didn't want to wake you up... I was watching the sun rise and thinking."

"About what?"

"How we've had nearly six months of undisturbed piece... Sesshomaru only said two and yet he hasn't hunted me down," that thought was partly on his mind, the other part was their own personal problem. Inuyasha was completely confused as to their trouble... there are females that are fertile and there are those that are barren. For two months straight he had been trying to pup her and yet... nothing. His nose wasn't lying, her heat had come twice and they mated, but a short time later her blood cycle would start. He had no intention of telling her because he didn't want her assuming the worse, for all he knew he could have been doing something wrong... he was planning to talk to Keade when they returned home.

"Is there something you should be worried about, does it need your immediate attention?" Kagome was already out of bed and getting dressed, then began to clean up their belongings scattered about the cave.

"Not really, but isn't Sango due soon? And we really should see how our hut has fared from all the rain we got... I'll probably have to thatch the roof again and we will have to replace whatever maybe water damaged; plus Miroku will probably want to go exterminate some demons... and probably have a break from Sango's wrath."

"Now don't be mean, she is pregnant... just you wait until I get that way," Kagome giggled while packing things into her bag, her back was turned to him so she didn't see his ears droop at her words.

"Yeah Kagome... I can't wait."

* * *

**Note: A but of time jumping back and forth... I hope everyone understood what was going on. I was basically updating on a few minor characters that were seen once in the anime/manga... they won't be brought up again, execpt Ayame and Koga, it was mostly Kagome and Inuyasha having a little vacation. The end was the major part I wish people to focus on because that will be brought up in the next few chapters and cause problems. Something is wrong with both Sango and Kagome... wonder how that will be fixed? And how many people would have thought Koga would have a boy first? I thought giving him a girl was perfect torture and it made Inuyasha feel better about the visit.**

**Sayuri- 'Small Lily'. I thought that fit since Ayame means 'Iris'... I wanted to stick with the flower theme.**

**Thanks to:  
**dogdemon16 **(I agree with 26 episodes not being enough... they crammed everything in and it seemed a little sloppy to me.)  
**Broken White Roses  
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	7. Keeping secrets

_**Don't own Inuyasha... cries .o.o.**_

_"talking"_

_'thinking'_

* * *

"Is there something on ye mind to visit this old woman at such a late hour?" Keade didn't wish to pry but seeing the young couple so suddenly after a long absence confirmed that they both had something to talk to her about. Keade had just settled Rin down to sleep and was preparing her own bedding when Inuyasha barged through the door, Kagome a short distance behind. Judging by Inuyasha's expression this was going to be a long possibly emotional talk, so she stoked the fire and put on some tea.

"I'm sorry for the late night visit lady Keade but it might be of importance... we're just not sure," Kagome felt guilty for disturbing the elderly woman's sleeping time. The couple had gotten back to the village an hour after sunset and Kagome had told him to wait till morning, but Inuyasha was stubborn and wanted to talk to the grandmother like figure of their group now; Kagome too was worried about Sango but this was a little extreme for her mate.

"Well, explain the situation and then we will deem its importance," Keade poured the tea and then gave it to the younger two.

"Well... Inuyasha said Sango's scent was off in the beginning of her pregnancy and it's still that way now; when he came back last month he said she looked farther along than she should... could you possibly have misdiagnosed how pregnant she was in the beginning?"

"I have been doing this for many years child; I am certain of my diagnosis... what type of scent is on her exactly, do you smell sickness Inuyasha?" Keade became nervous herself, if there was something wrong with the young mother she wanted to know so she could treat it... becoming sick while with child is very dangerous and could cause death for both mother and baby.

"No it ain't the scent of sickness, her scent and the pup's is fine but there is another odd scent mixed in as well... it's just odd because it's faint but smells like Sango too."

When Inuyasha went into more detail about what he smelled a light bulb went off in Kagome's head, "Lady Keade how often do women give birth to two babies at once?"

"Rarely child and I have only assisted in one such birthing that neither child survived."

"Kagome... you okay?" Inuyasha felt his mate tense beside him at Keade's answer to her question; her hand that had been resting on his knee clenched tighter causing his thigh to go numb for a split second.

"But... there have been twins that have survived... yes?" It sounded as if Kagome was trying to convince herself more than anyone else in the room. There had to be women in this era that were strong enough to birth twins, she immediately thought to her own set... Maru and Karin were twins and they had survived, so it was possible.

"I have heard stories of successful births yes... child are ye ill?" Keade became concerned when despite the warm glow of the fire Kagome looked far too pale for even herself.

"From what Inuyasha said... I think Sango's having twins," though Kagome wasn't pregnant she felt faint just thinking about the hard time her friend would be going through very soon.

"If ye think this to be true child I must see her at sun rise so we can be certain... her very life may be at risk."

"Damn old woman just scare her why don't you!"

"No, no Inuyasha... she's right if Sango is carrying twins we need to know for all their safety."

"Kagome, you seem to know a lot about multiple births."

"Well... I've never helped birth twins, but in the future it's not as dangerous to have them and rarely do they die," Kagome had been reading up on the process of child birth for nearly a year now. Before she left the future for the final time she had gone and bought all the child books she could get, she began studying up and helping Keade in the village with the pregnant girls while Inuyasha was back and forth to the West; since bringing the books and helping, the death rate among pregnant women and babies has dropped greatly and the villagers were very grateful for her being there.

"I think it would be wise if you are also there while I check over Sango so you may help her with your future knowledge child."

"Of course lady Keade."

"Keh, well since you want both of them here before first light tomorrow, Kagome should go to sleep now," Inuyasha stood and moved to usher his mate out of the hut and to their own. Luckily when they returned to the village earlier that night their hut was just as they had left it, Inuyasha was happy that he wouldn't need to repatch the roof after such a long day.

"But Inuyasha, I'm not tired yet... if anyone should be tired it's you. You're the one that carried both our things and me all the way from the mountains."

"Keh... you forget I'm a full demon woman, that didn't even effect me."

"We don't forget you're a full demon honey... you remind us all the time," Kagome rolled her eyes but refused to move from her spot.

"Just because I carried you and the bag, doesn't mean you ain't tired," Inuyasha was a little more forceful trying to get his mate to move.

Keade observed the couple's light bickering, having been use to it since the two met, but this time she noticed something was off... Inuyasha wasn't fighting as hard as he usually did. By this point he would have slipped up and insulted Kagome without even noticing, she then of course would 'sit' him with the beads still active around his neck and then she would storm off. But this time Inuyasha was being very careful with what he said and was trying to plead with her rational side, in fact Keade caught him glancing at her a few times... it seemed he wanted her to intervene. "I believe Inuyasha is right child... you both have travelled quite a long way it seems and you could use rest; I am not certain how long I will need ye tomorrow."

Kagome was stunned that Keade was agreeing with Inuyasha, she might disobey her mate from time to time, but Kagome would never disrespect her elder's request, "If you think it is best lady Keade... I'll see you tomorrow." Kagome didn't want to see Inuyasha's Cheshire cat grin she knew he would be sporting and quickly left the hut, not bother to seeing if he was following or not.

"Is there a reason you wish your mate to leave so suddenly Inuyasha?" Keade gave a knowing smile; the fire cast warm shadows over her aged face giving it a more devilish look than she intended.

"Look, let me get Kagome settled back at the hut and then we can talk... I'll be back shortly."

"I'll be waiting," Keade poured herself a cup of tea and sat patiently for the man to return.

* * *

A short time later Inuyasha returned looking far more troubled than when he had left, he carelessly dropped to the floor and slouched forward resting his chin on his open palm, his eyes carried a faraway look as he stared into the fire.

"Inuyasha, what ails ye? You seem upset about something, if it's Sango's pregnancy I assure you I will do-."

"It's not Sango... it's Kagome." Inuyasha sighed thinking about his predicament.

"Has something happened between the time ye left here and just now?"

"What? No... there's nothing wrong between us, it's just... I'm having a hard time pupping her and I don't know why."

The elderly priestess took a minute to compose herself and tried to figure out how she would approach this type of situation, she was trained to vanquish demons not help them procreate. "I take it you've tried to create a child already... these things take time Inuyasha, have some patience."

"Yay I've tried to pup her, but it's different than a humans' mating. I can smell when Kagome goes into her heat cycle so I am more certain when she will take my seed," Inuyasha was too frustrated to be embarrassed about the topic they were discussing.

"Unfortunately, I am confused as to the problem you are having then Inuyasha."

"The problem is she isn't accepting my seed! How can I pup her if she won't take it!" Inuyasha sighed in defeat, cradling his head in hands.

"It might not be as you think Inuyasha, maybe Kagome is not as fertile as your nose thinks she be."

"Keh, my nose don't lie... where have you been the past year? Did you forget the six pups that came from the future to help us?"

Keade glared at his rude response, she might be old but her mind had yet to go. "Nah Inuyasha, I have not forgotten about the childrens' visit; however, you may have forgotten that not one of them relieved when they were born or how. Though it may be rare, it's not uncommon for a small population of human women to have trouble having children... some are not meant to take the roll of a mother."

"Yeah well Kagome is meant to be one, she took great care of Shippo while we were travelling and she fell into the roll when the pups showed up... now that they're gone I have to give them back to her. Besides caring for a pup will keep her busy for the times I have to be in the West."

"Well if ye wish I can examine Kagome as well while I check Sango."

"No not yet... I don't want Kagome to panic and probably delay things farther."

Keade, knowing the young man her whole life, truly felt horrible for all the hardships he's been through and now that there was a small light in his life with Kagome... it looked as if that would be snuffed out as well if the couple could not have a child. Being the care giver of the group, Keade wanted to do everything in her power to help them. "If ye don't wish I examine Kagome then all I can do that may help is a fertility powder of sorts you can slip into tea and should help her conceive... if there isn't another deeper problem that is."

"Do that then, just tell me how to use it and if she isn't pupped by winter then you can check her."

* * *

With this plan made, Keade was able to make the powder with herbs she had Rin collect that afternoon. She explained that Kagome would need to take this once a day at the same time for it to take effect; Inuyasha knew she had a cup of tea with her breakfast... he could easily slip it in then. But he didn't count on one small back step, "Augh! This smells horrible!" The light green powder looked harmless in its solid form, but apparently when mixed with hot water it would emit a nasty odor that burned the dog demon's sensitive nose. Inuyasha had to literally hold his breath while brewing the tea and had to resist the urge to throw up several times.

"Inuyasha, are you trying to cook again?" Kagome never was going to let her mate live down the fact that he was a horrible cook. Oh he could cook rabbit and fish over an open fire, but give him a fire pit and a pot of water and he'll burn your hut down.

"Keh... I ain't stupid Kagome, I only did that once! I'm making tea... and I do know how to do that." Inuyasha quickly poured the tea into a cup just as Kagome came into the main room from the sleeping area, luck was on his side that the powder dissolve clear into the hot water so she wouldn't suspect a thing other than the smell which he hoped her human nose couldn't pick up as cleanly as he could.

"But... you don't like tea Inuyasha."

"I know that, I was making it for you, I know you have to go back to the old hag's hut with Sango at sun rise so I thought I would make it for you," Inuyasha looked at the wall to try and hide his blush.

"Ah Inuyasha, that's so sweet of you," Kagome smiled seeing his blush darken on his cheeks... she always loved embarrassing him when they were alone, it's quite funny to her how he tries to act all tough when she doesn't believe his macho act for one minute.

"Keh... yeah well here," Inuyasha thrust the cup in her direction but was careful not to spill a drop of the tea and risk burning Kagome's soft human flesh, "And you might want to make yourself something to eat... no telling how long you'll be over there."

Kagome took the cup afford, she didn't want to seem ungrateful for his sweet gesture, "Of course, I have a little time to whip something up for the two of us... um Inuyasha, what type of tea is this?" She carefully observed the contents in the cup, it had a hint of odor to it but she couldn't tell what it was because the tea diluted most of the more powerful detectors each herbal plant possessed.

"It's the same stuff you drink every day," Inuyasha feared he had been found out, Kagome had been studying under Keade for several months and knew at lot about plants and what they were used for; he was counting on Keade to not teach her how to create fertility drugs.

"Inuyasha, there is a distinct herbal scent in this tea, which is probably why you were yelling while making it... so what's going on?"

"Feh... alright look it's a secret herbal tea my mother used to make when the harvest and winter seasons were about to start, it's to keep your strength up so you don't get sick," he hated lying to her, and bringing his deceased mother into wasn't the greatest idea, but he panicked and gave her the same excuse he gave when she was sick one time a year ago and he treated her then... he didn't want her to know the truth because she may panic and become depressed over a situation that they don't have full control over yet.

"Oh... I'm sorry Inuyasha I didn't mean to question it, thank you for sharing that with me," Kagome knew his mother was a very hard subject for him to talk about and when he brought her up Kagome put to memory everything he would say. She wished desperately that she could have met the woman that loved a demon and was strong enough to defy the rules of this ear and bore one of the first half demons of the time. Kagome would truly like to talk to her and see if the princess would have approved of her mating to Inuyasha.

Said dog demon was pleased that his woman stopped questioning about the tea and slowly drank it, he still was uncomfortable with himself for lying to her but he kept telling himself that this was for the best and it would be alright when she became pupped... he was pretty sure once Kagome was holding Inu she wouldn't care how he was conceived.

After finishing the tea, which Kagome didn't complain about even though it had a very bad after taste to it, she whipped up a small breakfast of rice and fish for both of them before leaving to retrieve Sango and the two went to Keade's hut.

* * *

"Twins... you think I've having twins?" Sango was surprised seeing Kagome near sunrise that morning, the extra weight from the baby was causing her body to ache and she was unable to sleep that morning so she decided to start breakfast for Miroku when her friend knocked on the wood frame of the hut door. When Kagome said Keade wished she had a checkup, Sango's hormones went into overdrive and she began to panic, was something wrong with the baby?

After Kagome calmed the pregnant mommy down the two went to Keade, Sango was shocked at what the two were suggesting. "It makes sense Sango; Inuyasha said he's smelled something odd about your pregnancy since the beginning. You weren't sick and nothing was wrong with the baby... and you do look far larger than any other woman in the village has while five months pregnant; I was the one that thought twins and lady Keade wishes to examine you to see if it's true... we have to take precautions if you are carrying two babies," Kagome didn't mean to upset her friend but she knew the complications the older girl would be enduring very soon.

Sango knew the dangers that twins carried, when she was a little girl back in her village a young girl had been carrying twins but no one knew... she was rather sickly throughout her whole pregnancy and she went into labor months before she should have; because she wasn't very strong and that it being her first pregnancy neither child survived. The whole village thought the kami were displeased with her by giving her this terrible burden, and to farther pain the young couple the wife seemed to be unable to bare any children after. Sango could remember the adults talking constantly about them and how they would draw bad luck to their home; her father, being the headman, didn't believe it to be their fault for what happened and refused to throw them out. His generosity however didn't stop the whispers that ultimately drew the young woman to take her own life; her husband had been devastated and shortly joined her in the afterlife. Of course the cowardly villagers feared that their souls were unable to be reincarnated because of their deaths; many claimed they saw the girl wondering around the village at night in search of her long dead children.

When Sango came out of her memories she felt something wet on her face and realized she was crying, as she frantically whipped her cheeks of the moisture she began to hear Kagome calling her name.

"Sango... Sango-chan can you hear me? I didn't mean to upset you."

"No Kagome, I'm okay really. Keade-sama can you really tell if I'm having twins?"

"I will be honest with ye child, I have never handled this type of situation before other than helping assist a birthing," Keade didn't mention the fact that neither child lived.

"But I have books Sango, and if you will let him, I'm certain Inuyasha would be happy to help... he has been sensing the little ones since the very beginning," Kagome wanted to calm Sango down, she was sure Inuyasha would be able to tell what was going on in her body; and if it is the case Kagome was confident in the knowledge she had to help both mommy and babies.

* * *

"Are you certain this is for the best Inuyasha... normally your lies to Kagome don't work at well." Miroku had awoken to both his wife and Kagome heading out to Keade's for a check up on the baby; he had wanted to go with them but neither woman would hear of it. That left him to sulk and worry about what they were trying to hide from him, he wasn't allowed to wallow long however when Inuyasha burst through the door way and began this wild story.

"Yeah I know my track record alright, but I can't tell her, you know she has her heart set on pups... if I can't give them to her normally this is the only choice we have. Her knowing about it will cause her to panic and kami knows what else; she would fall into a depression and most likely never want to have sex again!"

"Um... my friend, aren't you being a little over dramatic? I think you've been spending a little too much time with Kagome."

"I've been away from her for six months... and you didn't help much, I thought you were my friend!" Inuyasha lightly punched the other man's robe covered arm.

"Ouch! How is this my fault, what did I do?"

"You got Sango pupped! You two married the same time Kagome and I mated and you're the one expecting the kid and I'm here bitching to you about a fertility drug!"

"Give it time my friend, this type of thing works best when you're relaxed and least expecting it to happen. Sango and I weren't planning this little precious gift we have received and yet here we are now."

"Yeah well I can smell when Kagome is able to be pupped and I really have no control over how my body reacts to it... you have no idea the hit to my pride at not being able to get her pregnant when she's in heat."

"You are correct in the fact that I don't know, but I will send a prayer to Buddha and ask that this herbal remedy will work."

"Yeah I hope so too... and look, just don't mention anything to either of the girls."

"Inuyasha, I can't keep anything from my wife, with her emotions constantly changing if she suspects that I'm hiding something from her I'm pretty sure I'll be spending an undetermined amount of time at your hut!"

"The hell that's happening! Look she ain't going to ask you just randomly so just don't give the information, you know she and Kagome share everything so if she knows then she'll tell Kagome... and you will know how it turns out because I'll kill you! This is just like before we were married, guy talk as Kagome calls it... don't tell her and you'll live to see those pups," Inuyasha was so focused on his threat that he missed his slip of the tongue... Miroku however didn't.

"Wait what? Pups... as in more than one, y-you think S-Sango is-."

"Shut up monk... Kagome's coming," Inuyasha completely ignored his friend's pale face and turned to the door just as his mate peeked in through the open door.

"Oh Inuyasha, there you are, I was looking for you. Um... are you busy right now because I need you at Keade's for a minute."

"Keh... why do you need me?" Inuyasha immediately thought he was busted; there was no possible way she found out about the fertility potion unless Keade told her. _'If that old bat told her after I told her not to open her mouth... she'll be looking at an early grave.'_

"It's about what we talked about last night... could you come please?"

Inuyasha released the breath he had been holding when he realized he hadn't been caught, "Oh... okay Kagome, I'll be there in a minute."

"Thank you! Um... Inuyasha, is Miroku okay? He looks a little pale and he hasn't said a word."

"Oh yeah, he's fine woman just go back to Keade's... I'll handle him," Inuyasha waived his mate off and hoped she didn't look too far into the silent Miroku, which he would be fixing in a minute, and then he would go to Keade's and see what they needed from him.

"Inuyasha..."

"Look Miroku, I can't talk right now but I'll fill you in later... or Sango will, but just remember our secret monk, keep that mouth of yours shut," Inuyasha darted out of the hut not wanting to keep the women waiting, and left the shocked man sitting near the lukewarm fire pit.

Miroku didn't hear a word after Inuyasha said 'pups', he didn't see when both his friends left, all that was running through his mind was the possibility of his wife having more than one child... his life just got a whole lot more complicated; whenever Inuyasha got back, the two of them would have to sit down and talk about going out on another exorcism job very soon... he had a growing family to care for after all.

* * *

**Note: Okay so we have two secrets floating around, Sango's possible twins that Inuyasha just spilled the beans about, and the fact that the dog demon is secretly feeding his mate a fertility potion to help get her pregnant... I can just see that blowing up in his face soon. How is Kagome going to react if she finds out, and just what is wrong with her in the first place, can Miroku stay quiet about it? And how is Sango and Miroku going to handle the possibility of twins? This all just spells trouble for the group.**

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	8. Inuyasha confirms Kagome's hunch

**Don't own Inuyasha... cries .o.o.**

talking

_'thinking'_

* * *

"So... why was I asked to come here?" Inuyasha's eyes darted around the room sizing up all three women present, he kept himself stationed at the door just in case this really was a surprise trap for him, so he could escape if need be.

Kagome rolled her eyes seeing her mate's 'caged animal stare', he obviously had something on his mind that he thought they had planned for him which was clearly ridiculous. "Inuyasha, come here please we have no intention of harming you... we actually need your help, why do you look like the cat that ate the canary?"

Everyone in the room looked to the once future born girl and her weird terminology, Inuyasha after a few seconds snapped out of his stupider at her comment... he didn't need her suspicious of anything. "Keh... you know damn well I ain't no cat demon woman."

"That's not what I meant Inuyasha; I meant you look guilty about something."

"Feh... so what do you want?" Inuyasha decided the best solution would be to get the attention off of himself and focus on the reason he was here, as so he wouldn't accidently slip up and blurt out something he shouldn't.

"Well... we were wondering if you could get a definite answer about Sango's pregnancy; you said you could smell a different scent on her."

The dog looked to the breeding female of his pack, yes the scent was still present on her person but he wasn't close enough to be certain of what it was. Sango noticed Inuyasha's gaze on her and she didn't miss the twitch of his nose as he scented the air. "Inuyasha, if you can tell what is going on please do... is there a possibility that I'm carrying twins?"

Inuyasha was hesitant in his approach, though he was alpha, and had the right to check any member of his pack; he still respected the humans' privacy issues. Miroku could challenge him as alpha, as was his right as Sango's mate, to disallow Inuyasha to be within striking distant of his vulnerable wife right now; he also didn't want his own mate to become angry with him if he got close to her friend. But since Miroku wasn't present and Kagome didn't feel threatened in this situation he deemed it alright to approach.

Though Sango seemed calm as he came to her side, he wanted to be certain that she wanted to have his help. "Sango... are you certain you wish I help?"

"Yes Inuyasha, please... I want to know."

With this confirmation and one final look to make sure Kagome was alright, Inuyasha crouched in a very dog like position in front of Sango. He took a tentative few sniffs, but couldn't get anything then what he already had; he craned his neck to the point where his nose was nearly brushing against his friend's largely protruding belly, taking yet another deep breath he closed his eyes trying to pull a part each scent by itself.

The first scent easily detectable was Sango's normal scent of leather and the powders that make up the smoke pellets she used to carry around while she was a slayer, under those smells laid the scent of lilac which was her more natural scent. He could also catch the sugary sweet scent of milk which all new mothers possessed and of course Sango would carry that until the pup... or pups were weaned.

The next scent he picked up made Inuyasha shoot back away from her in shock, _'You... you have got to be kidding me!' _Inuyasha couldn't believe he could faintly scent ink and incense, which were the major identifiers of that perverted monk's scent, still on Sango's body... clearly even with his wife being this far along in her pregnancy that didn't stop the couple's nightly activities.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong... what happened?" Kagome was in immediate panic seeing his reaction; she feared something was wrong with the babies.

Inuyasha didn't respond to Kagome's question at first, he didn't really want to embarrass Sango with what he discovered... and for being mated for nearly a year it matured him enough to the point he now realized he couldn't just shoot his mouth off like he used to, unless he wished to feel the wrath of the two young females present in the hut. He deemed his choice in not responded with what he first thought as the right thing to do, and when he locked eyes with the slayer's she must have realized what he sensed because she blushed madly, he definitely made the correct choice to keep his mouth shut on the matter. "Keh, it ain't nothing Kagome, my neck was bothering me...relax, you know I would tell you if something was wrong."

The demon leaned in again, this time trying to ignore the other male's scent and focus on the babies within. There was a second strong scent of lilac underneath Sango's own, that was the pup's and judging by the light, flowery scent... one pup was a female. Though it wasn't his own, Inuyasha was extremely excited to have another female joining the pack soon; with the pack so small every female was needed because that meant more pups to come so the pack could be populated in the future. He was also laughing on the inside that with Miroku's lecherous ways for as long as he's known him the kami were paying him back with a girl child. _'Keh, let's see how the monk can deal with protecting his daughter from perverted boys like he himself was once before he was married to Sango... these next few decades are going to be more fun then I first thought.'_

Inuyasha had to resist the chuckle tickling the back of his throat as he pictured Miroku locking his daughter in their hut until she was Keade's age. His musings were cut short however when another scent from Sango came to the surface for a second then disappeared again. That was the scent he had smelled for a few months now, and now that he was so close he was able to distinguish what he was actually smelling. Sage, and a hint of cinnamon was what he got... and a bit more lilac in there as well which was confusing his nose and bringing him to different conclusions; however, with this up close and personal 'sniff' everyone's questions would be answered.

Seeing her mate sit up and move away from Sango signaled to Kagome that he was done his inspection, "Inuyasha, did you learn anything?"

"Keh, yeah woman... you're right, Sango's having two pups." Inuyasha thought his announcement would have the two girls squealing in joy, but when the hut remained silent and both Sango and Kagome seemed to pale slightly at the news... apparently he didn't know the females of his pack very well.

* * *

Kagome's mind was reeling the second her mate said twins, already they were very far behind in preparing for the little ones. With both Inuyasha and her being away for five months, Kagome hadn't been able to help Sango get things ready like clothes and cloth diapers; and now they had less time because she knew twins were always born earlier than if it was one baby. Not to mention Sango and the babies' health were major concerns; Kagome would suggest immediate bed rest for the mommy.

_'Judging by this new information, and that lady Keade had placed Sango's conception date as early spring, which meant if she was having one child and around nine months time it should be close to winter when the baby should be born. But since she's now having twins that will most likely bump up the day of birth to maybe late harvest to possibly any day now... we're really far behind.'_

Sango was having her own internal battle with trying to process all this. _'Twins... two babies. I'm not even ready for one and now I'm having two, how are we going to be able to care for two, what will Miro... Miroku!' _Sango completely forgot about her husband during all this, what was he going to think about all this? She knew Miroku wanted a large family, he said so many times during their shard hunting days... but would he want that large family all at once? Would they be able to support them? Two babies meant more food, which meant more money which Miroku would have to get while exterminating demons; however, that would mean he would be away from home a lot more and Sango was worried she wouldn't be able to look after the children alone.

Kagome could see the worry and fear come across her friend's face and her nurturing nature kicked in, "Sango-chan, don't worry everything will be okay... Inuyasha and I will help; we'll do anything to help Miroku and you."

"WHAT!" Inuyasha couldn't believe was he just heard, yeah he would help the monk if he needed it and knowing they were going to have two more mouths to feed he was going to need it. The demon would gladly do a little more hunting to provide food for his growing pack, as was his job as alpha. But the way his mate was going on she was practically inviting them to move into their hut with them... and that would interrupt their sex life and their chances for a pup of their own, which Inuyasha wasn't willing to give up.

"Inuyasha, don't be rude!"

"Kagome, did you just hear what you suggested!"

"Well of course I did, it came out of my mouth didn't it? Sango and Miroku are going to need our help with these babies or have you forgotten!"

"If the two of ye do not mind, I would like to keep my hut a peaceful place, ye screaming is not good for Sango and her children," Keade was displeased with the couple's feuding in her home and she wasn't in the mood nor was this the time to be hearing it... so in the nicest possible way she was telling them to take outside. Kagome understood what the older priestess was asking and grabbed Inuyasha's sleeve to drag him outside to finish this.

"Inuyasha, what is your problem?" Kagome hissed out once the reed mat covering the door fell back into place. Before Inuyasha could snap back though, they were interrupted yet again by Rin this time who was coming from the fields; Keade had sent the girl to help tend crops when Kagome and Sango came for her check up, it was now near lunch and she was returning.

"Hello Kagome! Lord Inuyasha!" The girl frantically waived to get their attention but stopped when the dog demon released a low growl and then suddenly both he and Kagome vanished.

"Can't get a damn minute's peace in that village!" Inuyasha has snatched Kagome up after Rin's call and took off into the woods, a few minutes later he dropped his mate to her feet in the forest.

Kagome had to take a minute for her head to stop spinning before she could answer him, and once her dizziness passed her anger immediately came back. "Don't blame Rin for your moodiness, I told you you would be tired for not sleeping last night."

"I'm moody; you're the human with the constant changing emotions. And I have every right to be pissed off for what you were suggesting back there!"

"What? I can't believe how selfish you're being, our friends are going to need our help very soon and you're refusing?"

"I ain't refusing anything woman, if they need help fine but we don't need to be in their business everyday... I know I don't them in ours."

"Inuyasha, you've never had the pleasure of taking care of a child, let alone two at the same time." He wasn't sure if she was taking a shot at his ego because he had yet to pup her, or if she was just trying to make a point. "But I helped my mother care for Sota when he was a baby and let me tell you; they're a lot of work and having two... Sango will need help. Look if you're not comfortable with the idea you don't have to be around them that long but I think it would be good practice for you when we have our own," Kagome smiled and suddenly became very flirty with him, he was confused with her change in mood yet again... but he wasn't complaining.

* * *

With their fight behind them, though Inuyasha was planning on keeping an eye out to make sure the monk and slayer stayed in their own hut, the two returned to Keade's hut. The ride back, though Kagome rode in her normal position on his back and wasn't surprised about it like when he brought her out there, she still felt dizzy and so unlike she normally did when ridding with him.

_'It's so strange... when Inuyasha first carried me around when we first met I would get dizzy from his speed and all the jumping around he does but I've gotten over that right? Why is it starting up again?'_

"What the hell are you doing outside you old hag?"

"Inuyasha! …Lady Keade, what are you doing outside?" Kagome was about to yell at Inuyasha, one for the bumpy ride and two for how he spoke so disrespectfully to a village elder, but she was just as shocked seeing the old woman and Rin sitting out front eating lunch.

"Miroku is inside speaking with his wife about what Inuyasha has uncovered, it was not our place to remain and young Rin spoke of how nice it was outside so we decided to have lunch out here," Keade easily explained while offering Rin a bowl.

"Miroku? How would he have known so quickly... all of us who knew were here," Kagome wondered out loud unaware of how Inuyasha tensed up... luckily Rin noticed and innocently questioned it.

"Are you alright lord Inuyasha, you look pale."

All eyes were on him now making him more nervous, and seeing Kagome glare he knew he wouldn't be able to ignore her, "Well... I might have mentioned something earlier about pups... he looked a little sick after that."

"You told him! Inuyasha I can't believe you, we wanted to keep it a secret so we didn't scare anyone in case we were wrong!" Kagome couldn't comprehend what possessed her husband to just blurt something like that out; he was normally quiet about others' business and just didn't care.

"Well you were right, so he should know... I don't see a problem."

"The problem is it's Sango's decision to tell him... you ruined the surprise."

"Keh, nothing will be a surprise with my nose... so don't be too disappointed woman," Inuyasha dropped to the ground and accepted the bowl Keade afford.

Kagome would have sat down also, though she really wanted to go talk to Sango, but the minute she caught a whiff of the oden Keade made her head was spinning again. "Ugh, what's wrong with me?"

Inuyasha's ears twitched hearing his mate's words, he turned to see she had moved away from them and was in some pain, "Kagome, what's wrong?"

Hearing Inuyasha's gruff voice laced with concern caused Kagome's eyes to shoot open and she quickly began to waive him off, "Oh no, it's nothing Inuyasha really, my stomach is a little sensitive from the ride back."

"You're sick?" Inuyasha was on his feet again, panic clenching his thoughts knowing that he somehow made her sick.

"It's nothing really, I'm probably just a little light headed and the heat is getting to me."

It was late in the summer but the heat was still pretty heavy, and with it being midday and the sun at its highest point in the sky despite serving lunch outside pretty soon all the humans would have to seek shade. Inuyasha, being a demon, wasn't affected by the heat as quickly as the others would but he still was having a hard time believing Kagome's words. "Kagome."

"I think ye should lie down child if ye be feeling ill, we would not want you passing out due to the heat," Keade carefully intervened on Kagome's behalf so the couple would not start another fight.

"I think you're right lady Keade... I'm going to go cool off and rest."

"I'll walk you Kagome," Rin jumped off the ground, happy to help her friend to her hut.

Inuyasha was about to stop the child and walk his mate home, but Keade halted him wishing to ask him a question but secretly she was keeping the over protective demon from hovering too closely to his mate. "Inuyasha did ye give Kagome the tea this morning?"

"Yeah I did... why is she sick now? I don't smell anything on her and I don't believe the excuse about the heat," Inuyasha wanted answers now on how to help his woman.

"Calm yourself Inuyasha, the sickness Kagome is now feeling is most likely the herbal potion working."

"It is... only after a few hours? She can be pupped now?"

"As I have said before this is merely the beginning, we will not know if it has worked until the child has gone through her next cycle... ye most be patient Inuyasha, and remember Kagome must take this everyday at the same time; if she were to miss it for one day then it will have no effect and must be flushed from her body with her next blood cycle."

"So basically if she misses it once then I can't start giving it to her again until after her next blood?"

"Yes," Keade fell silent while collecting up the bowls from lunch to be washed. Inuyasha was left to his thoughts when the elderly woman headed to down to the river that ran just a few yards away; however, he wasn't alone for long.

"So... may I ask how long you've known that my wife was carrying twins?"

Inuyasha didn't miss the animosity in the monk's voice, but he did nothing but roll his eyes... he did nothing to warrant the human's rage and he had his own problems to deal with. "Look, I didn't know for certain until this morning, Kagome was the one that brought the idea of there being two pups last night."

"And how did Kagome come to this conclusion, with all respect but there's no possible way Kagome could know such a thing when she has not seen Sango in months."

"I told her Sango smelled different than other women have in the village when pupped the last time I was here. And before you get mad I hadn't mentioned anything before that because it was too early in the pregnancy and I'm not known for hanging around pupped women so I didn't know what I smelled... it wasn't sickness so I wasn't worried about it at the time."

Hearing his friend's explanation though angry it seemed he was the last to know of his wife's condition, Miroku dropped to sit where Keade had once been around the empty bonfire area. "I apologize Inuyasha... I am taking out my fear and frustration on you and that isn't fair. I am just lost."

"Keh, I don't understand why all you humans seemed panicked with this news... in a pack the more pups the better."

"But this is different Inuyasha, you see us as a pack but we are a pack of humans. A human female's body is not designed to carry more than one child at a time."

Inuyasha idly scratched his left ear while watching Miroku slowly sink into himself in despair, "Yeah Kagome was asking something about that to the old woman last night, but I don't understand... in the future Kagome has twins and she was fine."

"Well perhaps in Kagome's era medicine has advanced to allow the survival of multiple children at once."

Inuyasha nodded to confirm the monk's theory, the demon remembered the one time Kagome brought her brother to visit his sick friend and dead sister in that strange medical hut. "Yeah they do... but Kagome has those books that she has practically memorized so I'm sure she can help Sango."

"Yes, I hope you are right... because I cannot see myself living if I lose Sango or these children."

* * *

**Note: So we know now for certain that Sango is having twins! And Kagome is getting sick from the potion Inuyasha has given her and if he misses one day of it then they have to start all over again and him risk getting caught even more... what would happen if Sesshomaru called him back to the West and she didn't take it? And we haven't seen that devily demon lord in a while... he should be popping back up soon.**

**Thanks to:  
**ChaosAngel4us  
SorenLovesHolly  
Shinju Ami Mikuu  
Alechaos Ogigio  
RokStarrStyle  
Frankiegirl2020  
crazybananasprinkles  
sexyinnocents  
edasama  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
Elizabeth Roses  
Msmes  
**For reviewing luv'em, keep it up!**


	9. Inuyasha's fun, Sesshomaru's return

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

'talking'

'_thinking'_

* * *

'_How did I get myself into this situation? Better yet, how did I let Kagome talk me into this…? I'm a demon, current heir to the Western lands, and I'm sitting in the middle of Miroku's hut putting together cribs!'_ Inuyasha suppressed another growl from escaping from his lips, knowing Kagome wouldn't be pleased if she heard it; and of course he knew if she needed to reprimand him now… that would mean no reward later that night.

Having been back in the village for nearly a month now, it was the beginning of the harvest season and the village was in full hustle mode to keep the crops in the fields healthy and ripe to be gathered in a few weeks.

Sango, having grown larger since the confirmation of her twins, was on immediate bed rest and Kagome saw to it that she didn't leave the bed much, except when absolutely needed. Kagome had taken it upon herself to take over Sango's role in the hut, which meant she would be taking care of her friend's crops. She would be up early in the morning tending the fields, then she would make breakfast for their large group, after that was complete she would do the house chores for both huts and then make lunch. After, Sango and she would spend the rest of the day sewing together cloth to make baby clothes… needless to say she was quite tired come bed time which leaves Inuyasha hanging in the nightly 'rump in the sheets' department, which is another reason for his sour mood.

Just thinking about how much action he wasn't getting left a bad taste in his mouth. In the past month, though Inuyasha has been giving Kagome her special tea on schedule, they had only been together about two nights… and both of those times Inuyasha had to practically beg for her attention because she was too tired to begin the act herself. He truthfully wanted all of his wife's attention to be on him, yeah that was selfish but Inuyasha knew his brother would be summoning him back to the West for who knows how long and he feared they would fall into the same cycle they had last winter, Inuyasha refused to be denied sex for six months again… that just wasn't happening.

Luck seemed to be on his side today because Miroku decided to tend the crops, leaving Kagome with less work and more energy to burn later. That was the only reason he agreed to help the monk with this crazy idea of wood carven cribs for both twins; though he thought the whole thing ridiculous, but he kept his mouth shut hoping Kagome would reward him.

"Inuyasha, are you certain this is how a crib should look?"

"Keh, of course I'm sure! Kagome showed me those books so I know what I'm doing!"

"I don't think a child would like being trapped in a cage," Miroku inspected the box with bars on the floor of the hut in front of the slowly angering demon.

"It's not a cage you idiot!"

Kagome looked over to the arguing pair to see what the problem was, "Inuyasha, you put both of the bottoms of the cribs on to one, there needs to be an opening so the child can be taken out."

Inuyasha merely growled at her advice, he was far too frustrated with her and was afraid if he opened his mouth now she would sit him. "Fine then monk, if you think you can do a better job then have at it!" He then jumped up and dashed out of the hut, leaving the three shocked humans in his dust.

"What got into him?"

"I don't know Sango, but I'm going to find out," Kagome put down her sewing and went in search of her husband.

* * *

Inuyasha mean while had found himself a nice tree branch to sit in high above the village at the end of his forest. Right now this was the only place that would calm his racing heart; the hut was just too overcrowded and stuffy with all the new smells. With Sango coming closer to her actual birthing, her maternal scents were driving his instincts crazy he wanted nothing more than to take Kagome away again to pup her.

And her scent wasn't helping either, at first he was skeptical about Keade's brew working… how could a simple powder help a woman conceive? Well Inuyasha got that answer rather painfully two weeks prior, Kagome entered her heat cycle while he was helping Miroku in a neighboring village and when he got home he nearly got knocked off his feet when he entered the hut. Kagome's scent was ten times stronger than it normally was and he wanted to bed her right then; but sadly she was too tired from helping Sango to help him out and didn't want him to touch her at the time… neither one of them was happy for the rest of that week and this was how the demon found this tree perfect for observing the village.

Just thinking back to that week made Inuyasha shiver, not only did he fear he may suffer permanent damage from a very, very bad case of blue balls but Kagome seemed to suffer far more aggressive mood swings right before her monthly blood started… there were several deep Inuyasha shaped sized holes around their hut that Kagome made him fill in the next week. Thinking back on this Inuyasha remembered he needed to speak with Keade about maybe changing the herbs in the potion, the combination she chose didn't seem to work well with his mate… all around this past month has been bad for the dog demon.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing up there? Kagome throw you out again?"

'_And just when I thought I could get some peace and quiet he needed to show up.'_ "Shut up runt! Kagome didn't throw me out… I couldn't stand being in that hut any longer." Inuyasha didn't even bother to look down at the base of the tree to the fox demon standing there.

Shippo had come back a few days ago from his training to spend time with his human family. Over the past few months the little prankster of their odd group had really matured for his age, which shocked the dog demon that usually was the victim of his many tricks. While unbeknownst to either Inuyasha or Kagome the fox boy had come back to the village one time while they had been away. Though he was mad that they weren't there to see him on one of his rare seasonal visits, he was thrilled to find out from Miroku that they were trying to have a pup; he had been wondering every since the children left over a year ago when they would decide to have Inu… and he really wanted another demon child to play with in the village. It was at that moment that he realized he needed to no longer make Inuyasha his test subject when he needed to pass an exam; certainly with Kagome pregnant she wouldn't tolerate her mate getting hurt by his normally harmless pranks.

Hearing from his fellow kit mates that the heir to the West and his mate had returned to Keade's village, he immediately asked his teachers if he could have time off to go see them. However when he arrived and found Kagome not pregnant his been on Inuyasha's case ever since, barely allowing the older demon to have a seconds peace.

"And why not, I thought you agreed to help Miroku today, bailing isn't going to score points with Kagome!"

"Will you shut up, the whole village don't need to know my business… and it ain't yours either!"

"The hell it's not my business, I want Inu to be born too you know," thankfully Shippo scampered up the tree to the branch Inuyasha was sitting on this time to talk to him, which was good considering the curse that just came out of his mouth.

"Where the hell did you learn such language? It better not be with those fox demon you're hanging around with, you know Kagome don't approve of it."

"Well let's see, since I spent most of the last two years of my life hanging around you I'm guessing that I learned it from you! But I ain't stupid enough to speak like that around Kagome so don't worry… she still thinks I'm that cute fox baby you found on the side of the road," Shippo showed off his cute critter face which Inuyasha rolled his eyes at how ridiculous he looked.

"Yeah… fox baby is stretching it a bit don't you think kid?"

"Keh, I don't think so," Shippo gave a very Inuyasha like smirk which caused the other demon to chuckle.

'_He's getting a little too much like me… and I doubt Kagome will approve of that.' _Just thinking about how free the kit is with his speech now than a few years ago brought back up the many times Kagome told him to curb his language around the kid… and the many sits that followed. Just seeing Shippo copying his mannerisms at his age drew no doubt in his mind that his own pups would do the same… when they had them; he decided he would try to tone down his language a little. "Yeah… look go bother the village kids for a little while or something," Inuyasha closed his eyes and leaned back against the base of the tree, pretending to sleep. Shippo rolled his eyes at his father figure's behavior but did as he was told and scaled down the tree again heading back into the village to find something more interesting to do.

Just as Inuyasha thought he would be able to relax now alone, his ears began to twitch as he picked up a conversation just inside the village borders… apparently Shippo bumped into someone.

"Hi Kagome!"

'_Oh god,'_ Inuyasha tensed hearing his mate's name leave the kit's mouth, which he noticed the fox was being obnoxiously loud for his benefit. And he thought Kagome had stayed at the hut with others, if she was out here that meant she wanted to talk to him which meant he wasn't going to have that peace he wanted.

Inuyasha strained to hear what Kagome was saying to the kit but even with his superior hearing he couldn't catch a word from her soft voice; but of course Shippo was happy to help him fill in the blanks.

"Yeah I've seen Inuyasha."

'_No Shippo, don't you dare tell her whe-.'_

"He's right through these trees and up in the branches sulking about something or other."

Inuyasha could almost hear the smirk in the sneaky little boy's words, "Damn brat… I'm going to."

"Inuyasha?"

The dog demon was immediately pulled out of his dark thoughts of murdering the fox by his mate's uncertain call. Inuyasha decided to face fact that he would have no time alone so he hopped off of his branch and went to his woman. "Yes Kagome, what is it?"

Kagome had planned on yelling at him for being rude to their friends and then running off like he did, but when he landed on the ground and approached her Kagome noticed how defeated he looked and it was quickly confirmed by how tired he sounded when he spoke. She couldn't help but think his mood was a direct result of her actions; she hadn't been the best wife over the last month. The five months they were away from the village had been wonderful, and the two months in the cave when they were completely alone had been heaven; but now that they were back home they had to take on their responsibilities once again. Kagome had taken on a lot of things since she put Sango and bed rest, and she knew that Inuyasha and her sex life was suffering for it; but if it came down to her friend's health and children verses her mate being crabby for a few more months, Kagome was going to continue to help Sango.

Of course now looking at him Kagome felt completely horrible for ignoring him, he didn't have that same intense fire in his eye that he normally possessed, he looked… tired. "Inuyasha, are you alright… what happened back in the hut?"

"Keh, it was nothing… the monk wants those things built he can do it himself," Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest, acting in different about the situation and not wanting to talk about what was really bothering him.

Kagome however wasn't buying the act, she knew her mate far too well and not being able to assemble cribs wasn't his problem. "Come with me Inuyasha." She pried his hand away from his bicep and held it tightly in hers as she pulled him out of the brush and back into the village. Now Inuyasha could have easily refused her request and kept his feet planted in the woods, but he was slightly curious as to where she was taking him; after all this was the most attention he had gotten from her all month… he wasn't going to push her away now.

* * *

Inuyasha became giddy as a young pup when he realized the path she was leading him lead right to their hut; he was certain if he had a tail, it would be wagging excitedly right now. _'Is it true? Finally after nearly a full moon cycle she's going to let me bed her and actually participate!'_ Inuyasha couldn't believe it to be true and he was mentally patting himself on the back for keeping his temper in the monk's hut to get him to this moment.

The second they entered the hut and the door closed Inuyasha was in heaven when his mate's hands practically attached themselves to his chest like leeches and began roaming along his body.

"Inuyasha, I've been such a bad mate… I know I haven't been paying much attention to you this month, can you ever forgive me?" Kagome's hands slid up his neck into his hair and began scratching the base of his ears; that was a major weak spot for him and she couldn't help but smirk when she saw his knees straining to keep him standing.

Inuyasha's body erupted in flames as his blood turned to hot lava at her touch; it took every ounce of his strength to remain standing. Pacing himself wasn't really an option as every time he took a deep breath to calm himself down it wasn't working because all he could smell was her scent that made his mouth water. "K-Keh."

Kagome giggled hearing his normal catch phrase stuttered, "Inuyasha… will you forgive this bad girl for ignoring you? I know you've been very… very lonely at night while I sleep." She leaned up and slowly led a trail of nips and kisses up the path her fingers took on his neck and to the underside of his jaw; Kagome could barely contain her smirk when she felt him tense.

"K-Kagome, what's gotten into you?" Inuyasha was fearful that something was affecting his mate, maybe a demon got to her before she found Shippo… but then wouldn't he have sensed the difference. Or this could be far worse, something he didn't even want to think about, could it be possible Kagome was teasing him? It was the middle of the day and here she was trying to seduce him, he knew if he gave in she would pull away any second now and leave him unsatisfied again; Inuyasha just couldn't bear the thought of his mate torturing him in such a way.

"What do you mean Inuyasha? I just wanted to make up for what we've been lacking. I know I've been busy helping Sango with the preparations for the babies, but I thought since we had caught up a little I figured we could have the afternoon to ourselves," Kagome smiled wanting to relax her mate, but she frowned when his tension didn't recede. "Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, it's the middle of the day… anyone can come barging in on us, Shippo is staying with us and I thought you said we shouldn't while he's here," this was his last resolve; the fox kit was the only thing keeping him in his place.

"Inuyasha, Shippo's with the village children, he'll be gone the rest of the day… and haven't you ever heard of a 'nooner'?" The blank stare she got in return quickly answered her question, this was just another sign of how this time and the one she born into were completely different. "Remember when I explained why I needed to work so hard in school to get a job and support myself after this was all over? And I also told you what a job was? Well a 'nooner' is when a husband and wife leave work during their lunch break to go home and have sex. It's normally rather quickly since they don't have hours to eat, but since we don't have to work we can stay in bed for the rest of the day," Kagome giggled seeing the blush coat Inuyasha's cheeks as she buried her face in his chest.

"They… humans actually do that?" Inuyasha couldn't wrap his mind around that idea, from what he was taught and saw while growing up the act of mating for humans was normally done at night. Humans are very private and vain creatures and didn't wish others to know that they partook in the life giving act for some odd reason; it also seemed that humans tended to tire quickly after finishing so mating before sleeping did seem like a reasonable idea to them.

Inuyasha just assumed that was how Kagome wished to take their relationship, he of course wouldn't complain because being a half demon for almost all of his life, except the last year, he never expected to have a mate to being with. Now demons were different, demons only mated to produce offspring when females were in heat; and it didn't matter the time of day this would happen. Demons never coupled for the pleasure of it because it was a far too vulnerable time for either partner, while in the act another demon could come upon them and kill them. And of course demons could mate for hours at a time without rest, so they were far different than the weak human.

"You want to do this n-now!" Inuyasha was quite shocked that she was suddenly putting him on the spot; he didn't like to rush a performance. But it seemed that Kagome wasn't giving him a choice when she grabbed the front of his haori and pulled with all her strength, dragging the full demon into their bedroom. _'Kami, help me!'_

* * *

"Ka… Kagome… wow." Two words, those were the only two words that were coming to his abused mind at this moment; his mind was trying to race as he stared up at the ceiling of their bedroom but he was only coming up blank. Two hours ago he feared he wouldn't be up to his mate's expectations with this sudden demand to mate; but it seemed that Kagome wasn't in this for her pleasure… this was solely for his benefit.

The way she moved her body to accommodate him, allowing him to place her in any position he wished; hearing and feeling her gratitude at his ability to please her made him want to go back for more over and over again. He completely lost track of how many times they actually made love but he was both shocked and proud that she kept up with him.

It was nearly ten minutes since their last session and he was still trying to calm his breathing down… he had never done so much work in his life. Every breath he took he felt like he couldn't get enough of the scent thick in the air. The room, and probably the rest of the hut now, was heavy with their mixed, aroused scent… and the smell of sex and sweat which made him smirk; he was pretty sure Shippo would be sleeping at the monk's tonight and possibly the rest of his stay.

Inuyasha felt the petite body next to him tangled in the sheets shift, he was surprised to see that she was still awake when she raised her head to face him; a coy smile could be seen hidden behind her hand that rested on his bare chest, seeing the playfulness made him chuckle.

"What's… what's so funny?"

Inuyasha was pleased to know he tired her out as much as she did him, "Keh… who knew sweet, innocent, little Kagome could be such a bitch in bed."

Kagome blushed but Inuyasha could see the determination in her deep brown pools as she slowly lifted herself off of the futon and climbed on top of him, straddling his naked waist. "Yeah well… I better be the only bitch you bed or I'll just have to use my powers to make you impotent." Kagome felt him tense and smiled when he believed her threat, glad she got her point across.

"I assure you mate, I wouldn't be able to become aroused by anyone other than you."

"Good answer… just make sure it stays that way," satisfied with the answer given, Kagome lowered her body completely on his, giving him another heated kiss.

Inuyasha groaned into the kiss praying she didn't want to go another round because he was far too sore to even attempt it, he felt her shift again and got another whiff of her scent that was so heavily mixed with his that if she actually was in heat Inuyasha could bet the Tetsusaiga that she would be pupped; but sadly it wasn't the right time of the month… hopefully come her next heat they can have a repeat session like this. Just as he was getting back into what his mate was stirring up in his body, a flash of great power cut through his senses causing him to shoot up in the bed.

"Ah! Inuyasha, what is it?" Kagome was shocked when one minute she was kissing him and the next she was carelessly thrown into his lap as he abruptly sat up.

"It can't be… what the hell is he doing here?" Inuyasha didn't even seem to hear Kagome's question, his main focus was on the person he could sense standing directly outside of his hut. _'How did I not sense him?'_

"Inuyasha, tell me what's going on right now!" Kagome pouted when she realized his attention wasn't on her, she didn't like to be out of the loop and she refused to be now.

"Cover yourself Kagome," Inuyasha again blatantly ignored her question and fumbled out of the sheets to grab his hakama, which had been tossed across the room once Kagome had gotten them off his body… with her teeth.

"Wha! Inuyasha!" Kagome wasn't expecting him to throw their blankets at her, and before he was able to untangle himself from their mess he accidentally knocked her flat on back when he got off the futon. Kagome untangled the sheets from her legs and wrapped them around her body but she had no intention of leaving the bed unlike her soon to be ex-mate if he didn't answer her damn question. "Inuyashaaa!"

The dog flinched in the process of tying his pants closed, Kagome only used that voice when she was going to sit him… he really didn't want to get slammed into the floor, not right after that great roll in the sheets they just had. By the way Inuyasha's new favorite word was 'nooner' and he planned on using it often, he may even be so generous as to give his dear friend Miroku a little enlightenment on this new midday activity… but first he needed to deal with the disturbance outside, and cool his mate down right here.

"Mate calm yourself," he could see the fire ignite in her eyes at his comment and knew he was closer to kissing the floor now than earlier. Inuyasha dove on the futon, knocking her over again, and capturing her lips once again preventing the 'sit' from leaving her mouth. It took a little longer than he would have liked, and judging by how the demonic aura outside flared yet again their guest thought so too, but Kagome's body finally relaxed and she softened to his kiss. Inuyasha felt her hands snake up his chest but just as she was going to wrap them around his neck and maybe get him back under the covers with her, he quickly pulled away, drawing her up once again.

"Inuya-."

"We have a guest outside and I don't know how long they've been there or what they heard."

Kagome clutched the sheets tighter to her chest, "Someone's out there, why didn't you smell them? Anytime I popped open a ramen cup it didn't matter where you were you could smell the noodles; apparently that nose only works when you're hungry!"

"Well I was a little distracted for the last two hours so you're lucky I sensed them at all; and my nose don't just work when I'm hungry… at least for only food that is," Inuyasha smirked, stole one more kiss before leaving the room.

* * *

Knowing his mate was safe inside, Inuyasha turned his focus back on to the uninvited guest waiting outside. "What the hell you want Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha nearly ripped the door off the hinges he made when designing their hut, he had wanted to have a few modern things for Kagome's benefit; and of course with all the interruptions they always seemed to have, a door with a lock was something they both agreed on.

Now the lord of the west may not be the most emotional creature to ever live but even the slowest of ogre demons would be able to understand the tell tale crinkle of his sharp nose and subtle twitch of his carefully arched eyebrow that Sesshomaru was clearly appalled by what he saw and smelled when his younger brother came outside.

Inuyasha was pleased by his brother's discomfort, as he thought the smell of Kagome and his coupling had indeed escaped the confides of the hut and a large blast of it probably hit the older demon, like a punch to the stomach, the minute Inuyasha opened the door. The half naked man, since Inuyasha hadn't bothered to grab either of his tops to cover himself, leaned against the door frame and waited until his brother spoke… he was happier than a pig demon in mud.

Seeing the smirk on the pup's face caused Sesshomaru to glare for a split second before he placed his mask of indifference back in place, "How are you to be angry when this Sesshomaru did not make his presence known until after you were finished staking your lust for the human?"

"Let's get one thing straight… I will never be able to quench my lust for Kagome, that's why she's my mate… of course you'll never understand that, and you still didn't answer my question as to why you're here."

"This Sesshomaru has grown tired of stalling the clan leaders' questions as to why you have vanished… there were several messengers sent to retrieve you after the allotted two moons I gave you and yet they were unsuccessful in finding you."

"Keh, it's not my fault your servants are lacking… they can't find a simple minded used to be half breed?"

"Do not patronize me Inuyasha, where were you?" Sesshomaru growled not liking the teasing tone to his brother's voice, it seems he would have to show the pup just who alpha was.

"I don't have to give you my every location Sesshomaru; you didn't care what became of me when I was younger so why do you care now? I was with my mate and that's all you need to know."

Sesshomaru wasn't pleased that his beta ignored his order and he would need to punish him somehow once them got back to the castle, "Get dressed pup, we're leaving before the sun sets."

"What? Right now… I can't just leave Kagome now!"

"You've had plenty of time with your mate and we must now focus on the threat to our borders," Sesshomaru could no longer take the smells coming from inside the hut, they were making his body act strangely and he didn't like it, and made a move to step into the forest for clean air.

Inuyasha knew his brother had a habit of leaving quickly to prevent someone from disagreeing with his orders but Inuyasha was never one to easily agree with the demon; he pushed off the door frame, closed the door and secured it to make sure Kagome would be safe inside while he was gone, and then dashed after his brother to finish this.

"Hey… have those priests crossed into the west?" Inuyasha completely forgot about the human group terrorizing the south and now that he knew Sesshomaru had been searching for him it could only mean something big has happened.

"The humans are growing in numbers and will be at our borders within the next moon, unless they change direction."

"So they aren't on our land yet if they even come on it at all… why are you so worried about it?"

"The southern wolf elder was killed a few nights ago."

Sesshomaru's shocking information floored the other dog demon, "W-What? How is that possibly, I was told the wolf elders are nearly as strong as our old man was." Inuyasha thought back to when Ayame was talking about her grandfather, the old wolf didn't look like he could take down a pup when he last saw him; he was shocked to hear the stories of his younger years and the battles he was in.

"These humans are not to be taken lightly, we must be prepared for the northern tribe to seek revenge for their lost pack member… we are not to be involved brother."

"Though he's annoying, Koga's not stupid to charge in without thinking… at least not now. He's busy caring for his mate and pup so he won't send anyone, if the wolves move they will be a rouge group. And I ain't getting involved in their mess; I can't stand those smelly wolves either so I have no interest in helping them. But if the humans come to the village I will stop them."

"Do not be careless brother; you will not be able to stop these humans."

"You forget Sesshomaru; I've handled my share of powerful humans. I was sealed to a tree for fifty years by the priestess who protected the shikon jewel, and I'm mated to the most powerful priestess in this era," Inuyasha was rather proud to be able to brag about Kagome being that strong; he still couldn't believe how strong she will become in a matter of a few years… killing Naraku and vanquishing the jewel were just two of her many accomplishments.

"You're miko is most at risk, if these humans come in search of her and find she mated a demon they will surely kill her."

Inuyasha growled at his brother's accusation, "You think I would let that happen!"

"When it comes to your woman you do not think clearly, it would serve everyone far greater if she were hidden… it is quite obvious she will only draw more attention with the male pup she carries."

"What?... Kagome's not pupped."

Inuyasha's statement drew his brother to pause in his step, he slowly turned his head in Inuyasha's direction, a look of uncertain confusion marred his face. "Explain… she is not pupped? Have you not been mating with her for that purpose?"

"What you sound so pissed off for? Of course I've been trying to pup her!"

"Then explain why she is not, as dog demons we are gifted with an excellent sense of smell, you should easily be able to pick up her heat cycle… I've had the misfortune of smelling it on several occasions when I've bumped into your pack while hunting Naraku."

Inuyasha chose to ignore that information about his brother knowing when his mate was fertile, it would do him no good to try and attack him when Sesshomaru clearly wasn't interested in her; though Inuyasha couldn't understand why his brother was displeased with her scent, since she smelled heavenly when in heat. But now that they were on the topic Inuyasha felt he should tell his brother what was going on since it involved their pack.

'_This just got a whole hell of a lot worse.'_

* * *

**Note: So a little lime... sort of for Inuyasha's comfort since he hasn't gotten any in a month... poor puppy. And now he whole pupping Kagome problem just got worse now that Sesshomaru is involved. What is the wolf tribe going to do in the wake of the southern elder's death... and we will soon meet the group of humans that are causing the demon world such problems, will Inuyasha be able to protect Kagome like he said he would.**

**Thanks to:  
**Shinju Ami Mikuu  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
RokStarrStyle  
edasama  
inuyashalover33  
Alechaos Ogigio  
xXxAddicted2ChocolatexXx  
Msmes  
sexyinnocents  
Elizabeth Roses  
**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up!**


	10. Harvest stranger

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

'talking'

'_thinking'_

* * *

"This Sesshomaru does not see the problem you claim to have, bring the miko to the healers in the palace and they will fix her," Sesshomaru was annoyed that his brother was making this problem seem far worse than it was.

"No, are you nuts! I can't do that because Kagome doesn't know anything is wrong… if I bring her there she'll know something's wrong and then she'll start to panic. And when Kagome panics that's not good for anyone, namely me, if she finds out there's a problem with her having pups she will become depressed and not wish to try any longer… which means I won't get sex!"

Sesshomaru was slightly disgusted with his brother's more barbaric nature as of late; thought he looked full demon, Inuyasha seemed to attain some more human traits then he had before… his need to mate outside of the mating season being one of them. "You must control your pathetic urges little brother, lusting for the human continuously will bring your downfall."

"Feh, it's not as simple as that, but again you don't have a mate so you couldn't understand; I now can understand what our old man went through when he was with my mother… humans are very addicting creatures," Inuyasha smirked while bringing forth a memory from an hour before with Kagome lying naked and inviting on their bed.

"Humans are weak, how two females were able to lure both our father and you to their beds is still unknown to this Sesshomaru."

"It's in our blood to be curious of them and before you try to deny it all I have to do is call Rin as proof of your fall from grace… you didn't keep her around as a pet," Inuyasha smirked knowing he was able to one up his brother.

Sesshomaru didn't take his brother's bait and turned once more heading farther into the woods, "Get dressed in your proper robes… we will be leaving before sunset."

"Wait, what about Kagome?"

"This Sesshomaru has already given you a solution to that problem, you refuse to take it; this discussion is over and will no longer be brought up." The lord of the west did not give Inuyasha room to argue and vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

'_That ass… ordering me around like a damn pup!'_ Inuyasha growled and sulked the whole way back to the hut, he tried to think up an excuse to give to Kagome so she wouldn't be upset… but nothing was coming to mind and he could already see the hurt expression that would come to her face when he told her he was leaving; not to mention the tea he brewed her every morning wouldn't get made.

'_Oh shit! I forgot about the tea!'_ There was no doubt in Inuyasha's mind that Kagome wouldn't take the tea every morning like she needed to in order for the potion to work… and who knows how long he would be away which would mess up the cycle farther.

He immediately began thinking of a possible solution to keep her on schedule. The obvious answer would be to tell her the reason she needed the tea and he could show the steps to make it properly; but this would of course defeat the whole purpose of keeping it a secret in the first place. No it would have to be someone that she saw every day, but sadly he couldn't trust Miroku of Sango with the task.

Both of them would know what the potion was for and though he was certain he could get the monk on his side; he was just as sure that Sango would tell Kagome and he couldn't have that. Shippo was also not an option because he would have to return to his fox training in a few days, plus he would forget what Inuyasha would tell him in how to brew the tea correctly; the dog demon couldn't risk the fox just randomly adding things that could possibly hurt Kagome. That really only left the old hag, which Inuyasha could smack himself in the head for not thinking of her in the first place.

The elderly priestess was the one who made the herbal concoction and taught him how to make it, plus he still needed to talk to her about changing the ingredients anyway; now that he had the right person he just needed to convince his mate to go to Keade's every morning… that would be harder to do than finding the jewel.

Inuyasha had been standing outside of his hut for ten minutes, Kagome without a doubt knew he was out there and was waiting for him to come inside which meant he couldn't just run to Keade's right now; he would have to drop in after he talked to his mate. _'Well… it's now or never,'_ Inuyasha took a deep breath and entered the hut.

* * *

The smells that filled the hut over an hour ago were already fading to nothing, and since the two had missed lunch Kagome had decided to cook something… that to was covering their scents but whatever it was did smell good.

Kagome, wrapped up in only his fire rat haori was crouched over the fire stirring the food in the pot; seeing her in his clothing always brings back memories of their shard hunting days. Seeing his robe used as a short, tightly wrapped kimono around her body would remind him of the night Tokajin tried to kill them that was one of the many nights Inuyasha cursed his human blood. If he had the power he had now they wouldn't have fallen into the peach man's trap, but Inuyasha could never think that whole night was bad… yeah he nearly died twice but that was the first time he got to see Kagome naked without getting sat.

Though he continuously denied seeing anything for a few weeks after the whole ordeal because Miroku wouldn't let up and it was embarrassing for the couple, Inuyasha accidently let it slip their first night as mates that she was as breath taking as he remembered… which immediately lead to Kagome questioning when he saw her naked before and he had no choice but to tell her. She wasn't mad like he thought she would be, and as payback she would wear only his clothes and nothing else around the hut to tease him.

"So… what did Sesshomaru want?"

Inuyasha suddenly became aware that Kagome was looking at him and he felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze; just seeing the dull look in her normally passionate eyes told him she already knew the answer to her own question. "Kagome… some things have come up and I need to help the ice prick, I don't really want to go but this thing could affect the village too… I don't have a choice!"

"I think I would be more understanding if you told me what this thing was," Kagome pouted out her bottom lip and batted her eyelashes at him.

"Mate you know I can't bring you into demon affairs. To every other demon besides the runt, my brother, and me you are an enemy; if I tell you anything that is discussed during meetings they may revolt against us."

"I thought I would be more important than a bunch of old rude demons but-."

Inuyasha cut off Kagome's belittlement of herself by drawing her into his embrace and a passionate kiss, when he pulled away to allow her to breathe he had no plans to release her until he finished speaking. "You are the most important to me, you know I would give my life for you my mate… which is a lot more than I can say for Sesshomaru, or did you forget that the first time you met him I chopped his arm off?"

He felt her shifting in his arms and realized he was trying to keep her giggles at bay; this brought a smile to his face as he buried his noise into her hair. "Please don't ever question my loyalty to you mate, know that what I don't tell you is for your protection."

"I know you're trying to protect me and I know that you would never betray me, I just fear you like spending your time among those demons than here in the village with us."

"You… you think I'd rather waste my time in that stuffy castle, listening to those old bats growl and hiss at each other? Rather than being here, with you… sharing a lot more afternoons like today's together," Inuyasha nuzzled her neck causing her to giggle once more.

Kagome was able to get him to eat something before he dashed back into their bedroom to change into his regal attire; he came out tying the black sash to his waist and walked over to the door to gather his boots. Kagome had to catch her breath seeing him in his clothes; it has been nearly a full year since he became a full demon still wasn't use to them.

"So… when will you be back?"

Inuyasha paused in putting his shoes on and looked over his shoulder, "Uh… I don't know it really depends on if we can settle the matters we have to attain to."

"Oh… well I should be grateful you came to tell me rather than just running off huh?"

"Kagome, I know this is hard, but I will try to be back at a reasonable time and I swear I won't be back and forth like last winter… you won't even know I'm gone." Inuyasha must now have realized how Kagome would hang on to his words before his departure, otherwise he may have returned a lot sooner… or at all.

* * *

With the harvest in a few short weeks everyone in the village was rather busy and didn't notice their protector was not present. And they really wouldn't, ever since Inuyasha took over the guardianship of the town two years ago there were rare occasions when a rouge demon would attack; the only time these attacks seemed to happen was during the harvest season when the largest amount of people were out of the village at once and closer to the forest when the demons could get to them. But ever since Inuyasha became a full demon and claimed the entire forest surrounding the village as his territory, all ill-intended demons completely vanished… and those that dare to challenge Inuyasha didn't last very long.

The villagers quickly got use to the peaceful environment and Inuyasha's protection fell to the back of their minds. Even his friends had to put their worries for him on the back burner; all their focus was on Sango and the babies.

Keade now visited Sango every day to check her and the children with Kagome's help. Since the priestess was devoting her time solely to his wife, Miroku took up the duties of caring for the shrine in her absence. Kagome to keep her mind off her mate, busied herself with both helping her mentor and tending the crops in the field… but even that wasn't enough to distract her from the fact that Inuyasha had been gone for nearly two full weeks.

During the day she was surrounded by her friends and preparing for the babies that would be coming in the next few weeks, but at night… at night she was alone. A few days after Inuyasha had gone to the west, Shippo had to return to his training, which left the young woman all alone in her large hut; to cope with the emptiness Kagome had started staying at Keade's hut with Rin and her grandmother like figure.

Keade of course welcomed the girl with a warm smile; this also helped the older woman because she could keep her promise to Inuyasha. The boy had come to her right before he left and brought her his dilemma; Keade agreed to help him and also took note about him asking to change the ingredients to give the tea less dramatic side effects.

The new batch had been made but Keade did not give it to the girl; in order to do so would be the same as if Kagome stopped drinking the tea… they would have to wait for the old potion was flushed from Kagome's body with her monthly blood before the next one could be used.

'_Inuyasha… what are you doing that's so important that you would be gone this long.'_ Kagome didn't mean to sound selfish, whatever her mate was needed for must have been important and she was happy that the brothers were bonding in their own strange way; but she still wished she could spend more time with him. She knew in the next month when Sango had the babies both she and Miroku would be extremely busy and they wouldn't been able to be around like before; they were moving on with their lives and starting the family they always wanted. And with the little ones due soon Kagome was thinking about her own family, seeing Sango ready to pop made Kagome's heart clench in knowing that her own womb was still bare… she secretly prayed that this run to the west would be the last one for a while so both Inuyasha and she can begin their family.

"Kagome, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine Sango… why do you ask?" It was now entering the third week of Inuyasha's absence and Kagome was busying herself with sewing a thick quilt for Sango come the winter months. The babies should be coming during the late harvest time which meant winter was just around the corner; that in itself was dangerous.

Food and warmth were rather scarce during the colder months and the most deaths that happen in the village, other than those that are attacked by demons, were those that died due to illness that they caught during the winter. The babies' chances of survival were already slimmer than that of a single child and Kagome was going to do everything in her power to make sure they would be okay.

"It's nothing really, you just look a little sad is all… are you worried about Inuyasha?"

Kagome was shocked by her friend's question, she had truly been trying to hide her worries from everyone in the village but clearly she wasn't doing a great job of it. "W-What, of course not, I know he's alright… he didn't tell me what he was needed for and so I can't really expect him home right away; I do wish he would send word though so I'm not obsessing about it," she stopped her sewing to admire the cross stitched little puppy she had been working on.

Sango wished to embrace her friend, but her current state prevented her from doing so, "Kagome, I'm certain if Inuyasha could contact you he would… Sesshomaru could have him bogged down with work; besides we all know how Inuyasha hates regal work so he's probably fighting tooth and nail to come back."

"You're right Sango, I shouldn't worry too much," though Kagome put a smile on her face to please her friend, inside her mind was racing with different situations that her mate could be in keeping him from her.

"Lady Kagome… lady Kagome!" The reed mat door flew open revealing a young girl from the village; she was covered in dirt and mug and panting rather harshly trying to get air into her lungs.

"Yes Asami-chan… what is it?" Kagome placed her sewing aside to give her full attention to the girl.

"In the fields… there was a demon; it came charging out of the forest."

"Kami, is anyone hurt?" Kagome stood and made a quick mental check list of all the supplies she would need to help anyone injured… she also needed to run to her hut and grab her bow for protection, Inuyasha would be angry with her if he returned home and found out she went and fought a demon without anything to keep her safe.

"No, the demon didn't come after any of the villagers because it was already chasing a man. Miroku-san sent me to get you, he isn't sure he can stop the demon alone and save the man.

"Miroku's going after it!"

Kagome could hear the panic in Sango's voice and knew her worrying over this could harm the twins, "Sango, don't worry, I'll go see what's going on."

* * *

Once she was able to calm Sango down to a stable level, Kagome raced to her hut to retrieve her weapon and then both Asami and she headed off to the fields to get rid of the demon. With how the girl was describing the demon on the way to the grounds it sounded like it was some type of boar demon, Kagome got a quick flash back of Chokyukai the abducting bride demon from her past… she really didn't want to have to deal with another demon like that without Inuyasha being there. She was quite relieved when Asami told her this demon was a feral one, though that did bring up a few risks to the fields themselves; the demon would think nothing of destroying the lands in a blind rage to reach its prey… they must hurry and slay it before the harvest crop was damaged.

If the boar reached the vegetable fields and crushed everything there would certainly be a food shortage in the village which would cause many deaths during the winter. Just thinking about the death toll brought tears to Kagome's eyes, she couldn't let that happen.

Upon arriving in the area where the demon was spotted, Kagome was extremely happy to see that everything in the fields was alright, even the villagers themselves were unharmed; many had even stopped tending their fields to watch Miroku try and protect the man the demon was after in the first place.

"Miroku!" Kagome snapped out of the trance she was in and dashed over to her friend's side.

"Kagome, be careful this demon is quite powerful, my sutra won't work on it," Miroku recollected himself and prepared to fight the raging pig once again as it came charging yet another time.

"The sutra may not work because its hide is thicker than normal boars, my arrows shouldn't be a problem," the young priestess explained while notching said arrow to her bow and preparing to fire. Kagome focused her spiritual power at the tip of the arrow and a small purplish orb appeared just before she released it. The orb expanded into streams of light trailing behind the arrow as it sailed through the air towards the demon.

The animal was so focused on its prey that it didn't even see the arrow until it was too late. The sound of cracked wood rang out across the field as the weapon made contact with the animal, there was a sudden bright flash of light and then it dimmed to leave nothing of the demon that was once there. The villagers, having been use to Kagome's power for quite some time merely bowed to her in respect and gratitude before returning to their work for the day.

"Are you okay Miroku, Sango wouldn't be pleased if I brought her husband back injured," Kagome giggled watching the ex-monk pat the dust off his robes and pick up his staff that he had discarded.

"I am perfectly fine thanks to your assistance Kagome… thank you."

"Of course Miroku, though you may want to hurry home and tell Sango you're alright so she doesn't worry."

"Yes I shall do that but first I must speak with Hisashi-san and ask for shelter for our friend here," Miroku motioned to the figure standing behind him, the man the boar had been originally after.

The man looked slightly older than Miroku himself, he wore a very plain looking brown suikan and navy blue hakama, he looked like a regular villager and yet Kagome had never seen him before. He was clean shaven which was odd for a man his age, and his eyes are what startled her the most… they were green. A deep forest green that reminded Kagome of the trees she loved to walk under every day; his eyes also reminded her of her fox demon, Shippo's eyes sparkled just like this man's were doing.

"That… that… was amazing," the man's voice quivered with his overall shock about what he just saw.

"Why yes my friend, lady Kagome is truly an amazing person," Miroku winked at his friend who immediately blushed at his teasing.

"Oh Miroku stop it! This was nothing really… just helping out a few friends is all."

"No! this was amazing, absolutely outstanding, the fluidity and gracefulness of your moves with the pure power you possess… and the added sparkle when the demon was destroyed, it was beautiful."

The added praise from the strange man caused Kagome's face to flame, "No, no really it wasn't."

"I owe my life to you my lady," the man dropped to his knees in front of her causing quite the scene as many of the villagers were now staring at them.

"No please, bowing isn't necessary really please stand," Kagome was trying to remain pleasant with the man but now he was getting annoying and the rage she normally took out on her mate may be brought on to this poor soul.

Miroku watched the scene unfold with great amusement; if he wasn't so sure Kagome would hit him if she saw his smirk he would be out right laughing at the man's actions. No one had ever gone this far overboard in thanking the young priestess for killing a demon, this man was so far bent towards the ground he was practically eating the dirt.

"Alright my friend I am certain lady Kagome understands how grateful you are for her saving your life… now please get up," Miroku finally took pity on his friend and approached the two, helping him to his feet since he seemed hard of hearing.

"My lady there must be some way I can repay you, I am in your debt, I am sure I can do chores around your shine!"

"Oh no that will not be necessary, I don't care for the shrine anyway, Miroku and lady Keade do."

"Lady… Keade?"

"Yes she is the elder priestess of our village, lady Kagome is her apprentice."

"What, Miroku I'm not-."

"Come we must go back to the village and get this man settled," Miroku stopped Kagome from correcting him and then ushered the man in the direction of the town.

Kagome was confused by Miroku's actions, everyone knew she would not be Keade successor after her passing; Kagome couldn't become a true priestess because she was mated to Inuyasha and yet… why would Miroku allow this man to think that she was.

* * *

**Note: I am so sorry this is really late... I had intented for this to be written like weeks ago but things came up. One classes have been extremely hard this quarter and my professors are expecting a lot out of me. Not to mention like two weeks ago my poor old labtop died completely and I lost what I had written already for this chapter so that pushed it back also. But finally I found the time to retype and finish it so hope you like. And now we have a new character that has been added but he doesn't have a name yet... what could he possibly have in store for our friends?**

**Thanks to: Everyone that's read this chapter, I lost all the reviews from my old labtop so I can't thank anyone individually... sorry. But thank everyone that reviewed the last chapter and I will make sure to name everyone separately.**


	11. Masanori's story

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"talking"

'_thinking'_

* * *

The days that followed the boar demon attack were the most eventful in the last couple weeks in Kagome's opinion. She still continued her daily routine of caring for Sango but after lunch when she would take some time out of the day for herself, she found to be bumping into the man she helped save.

After Miroku brought him to the village they had sought the village headman for a place for the man to stay. Hisashi had no solution to their dilemma since there were no free huts available at the moment; so he afford his own home to the guest.

The hyper active man, who finally gave the name Masanori as his own was extremely honored by the hospitality that was being shown to him; he once again dropped to the ground and bowed, "Thank you sir but I couldn't possibly accept such a gift. I am truly unworthy of the honor sir."

"Um… it is quite alright my boy, I have plenty of room with my children all grown and out of my hut; there is no need to bow."

"Hisashi-san, it is no use… he likes to bow a lot," Miroku explained so the old man wouldn't get flustered like Kagome had earlier that day.

So now he was staying with Hisashi and his wife doing anything he could around the hut for the elderly couple to show his thanks. When he wasn't with them Kagome noticed he spent a lot of time at the shrine. That was normally when Kagome would bump into him, she would be starting her daily stroll and he would be descending the giant staircase that lead to the village shrine.

"Lady Kagome, it is quite the honor to see you this fine day!" Masanori bound over to the girl excitedly, Kagome was still trying to find out where he gets all his energy from.

"Hello Masanori-san, how are you today?" Kagome didn't even bother to question why he was following her, after only being in the village a few days he has practically been following her around like a lost puppy every time he spotted her.

"I am honored you wished to know how I am faring, I do not deserve your kindness, it shows just how selfless you are my lady."

Kagome refrained from rolling her eyes, Masanori has never stopped praising her and it was becoming annoying for her to try and stop him… so now she just let him talk. "I hope the villagers are being kind to you," she knew the people of her village were welcoming to strangers but she decided to make idol conversation.

"Oh yes of course, the villagers are most certainly kind; I never would have expected them to be so warm hearted. Normally villagers are weary of strangers coming to their towns… I regretfully say even my own was distrustful." Masanori's tone drastically changed from excitement to a somber mood which shocked Kagome because she never thought he could sound like that; she also noticed he mentioned something about his own village which he never did before.

"Your village was hateful towards you?"

"It is not respectful to speak ill of the dead, but they were all fools," the man's voice took a darker tone than previously, his deep forest green eyes flared with what Kagome could only associate as deep seeded hatred.

"May I ask how so Masanori-san?"

"Demons my lady, the vile, hellish creatures that cast spells to control humans. I am from a village south of here, for as long as I can remember the people have accepted those things into the village… no one but I was able to see beyond their tricks."

"Tricks, like fox demon pranks because they are quite harmless; I myself have witnessed the exams they take and they wouldn't hurt a fly." Kagome didn't notice when Masanori stopped walking, she paused when she felt his hand grab her wrist; when she turned she was faced with a much less friendly man… he looked far too serious in her opinion.

"I'm not talking about fox demons my lady… the beastly creatures that pledged my village were wolves."

Kagome's heart plummeted into her stomach, "Wol-Wolves… as in wolf demons?" Her mind immediately went to Koga, Ayame and now their little girl Sayuri. Kagome knew at one time before she met the wolf, Koga allowed his wolves to kill and eat human flesh but he stopped that once he met her. She also knew that since he has taken over the northern tribe not one wolf has harmed a human unless in self-defense; however, Kagome was aware that there were other tribes besides her friend's… and she didn't know how they were run.

"Yes my lady… you know of them? What am I thinking of course you would know, I am certain a priestess as powerful as you would have encountered them during your time?"

"Um well… yes I've come across them before, but never have they been violent. The first time I crossed paths with them they were fighting the birds of paradise," Kagome wasn't sure how much information she could give this man, it was already obvious that Masanori didn't like demons and she wasn't about to tell him she was friends with several and mated to one. _'Oh kami, Inuyasha!'_ Kagome knew her mate could never meet this man, and for once she was glad he was in the west and wanted him to stay away until Masanori left.

"Don't let them fool you my lady, they are charmers." Kagome suppressed a laugh remembering the first time she met Koga… he was quite charming. "But once they have you under their spell they will kill and eat you… or worse."

'_Worse… what could possibly be worse than death?'_ "Masanori-san?"

"The worst thing possible to come from them… are half breeds," the man glared at the ground as he spat the words from his mouth as if they were tipped with acid. Kagome, at hearing his disdain for such innocent creatures had to fight with everything her to keep from defending them and slapping him for what he was saying. She couldn't stomach what he was saying but she had to listen or else he would grow suspicious; know Kagome understood why Miroku wanted Masanori to think she was Keade's apprentice. This man, she dare say, is more of a deceitful charmer than the demons he so passionately hates.

"Half demons are the worst, demons rape our beautiful women and force them to carry their tainted spawn or just kill them."

"Masanori-san, may I ask why you hate demons so?" Because frankly Kagome was tiring of hearing his hateful words and wanted to change the subject.

"The village I was from welcomed them openly without expecting anything in return, I warned them and they didn't listen to me… they paid dearly when the demons betrayed us. I was able to escape before the blood shed started… I was the only one."

"The wolves killed everyone!"

"With all respect my lady I don't wish to talk about that any longer, it was quite horrific what I witnessed and I don't wish to taint one as pure as yourself with the tale," Masanori smiled once again as if his cheerful expression could erase all of what he said while on their walk; but Kagome was no longer fooled by his words, she would now be keeping a closer watch on what she said while he was around.

* * *

"Kagome what you have told me… it just doesn't make sense, if a tribe of wolves were to inhabit a human village and take mates there, they certainly wouldn't slaughter everyone shortly after."

It was a few days after Kagome's walk with Masanori that she decided to bring up what he told her with her friends. She was terribly worried about what would happen when Inuyasha returned from his trip, Kagome feared their guest has formed an attraction to her and she knew her mate wouldn't approve of that.

"I know Sango, it sounded odd to me too, even when we met Koga for the first time he wasn't that violent… it doesn't make sense to me either."

"Our guest could simply be expressing his hatred to those with demon blood because he could be an outcast of his home village, we really only have his word to go by that the village was destroyed," Miroku chimed in while adding more wood to the fire pit the little group was surrounding in his hut.

"Miroku is right child, not all humans are as accepting of demons as ye are, I have not heard of any villages south of here being destroyed by demons in the last few months, other than the small sightings that Miroku and Inuyasha handle every now and then there haven't been large demon attacks… at least not since Naraku's defeat." Keade was also present checking on Sango and the little ones since according to Kagome, she could go into labor any day now.

"I just don't want a fight to breakout when Inuyasha returns."

The room fell silent at Kagome's last statement; everyone agreed their demon friend could not bump into Masanori upon his return. Miroku was certain he could distract the dog by taking him on an extermination; the monk has only been able to go on small hunts since Inuyasha has been in the west… and the shyster by nature was in the mood for a big score soon.

The only problem would be how determined Inuyasha was to remain in the village with Kagome, and convincing him to leave again. "I'm certain I could reason with him into accompanying me on another extermination, I've heard several rumors of large demons to the east that are terrorizing a village. Apparently it's a fairly large town which means we could charge a good amount… I of course would need your help Kagome in convincing him to leave your side."

"I think I could do that Miroku, but I can't seem too eager for him to leave otherwise he will know something is going on," Kagome knew her mate wasn't as dense as he played to be around others; with him being gone for nearly a month the minute he returned she was certain he wouldn't be leaving her side anytime soon; and if she shooed him away too quickly he would sense they were hiding something.

"Yes our friend has become quite clever over the years hasn't he?"

No one else present in the hut commented on Miroku's tease but a few giggles could be heard from Kagome and Sango as they were thinking of past situations Inuyasha found himself in because he opened his mouth before thinking.

'_Miroku's right, Inuyasha has learned a lot over the last two years… I wonder what he's doing right now,' _Kagome sighed as she looked out the open window flap to the mid-morning sky; her mind was solely on her mate and what he was doing.

* * *

"What the hell do you mean you lost them!"

"Inuyasha, calm yourself," Sesshomaru has taught his brother how to act while in chamber, growling and yelling at the allies they had wasn't smart. The lord of the west wouldn't reprimand the pup in front of these demons however, if he attempted such a thing he knew Inuyasha would fight back both verbally and physically.

Having a fight at this time would show weakness that they couldn't afford, these clan leaders at the table were their allies now but one slip and they would jump at the chance for either brothers' position… and though Sesshomaru may not like his younger brother all the time, he would much rather have Inuyasha as his heir than one of these demons.

But Inuyasha wasn't in a listening mood today, he had already been here longer than he wanted… and Kagome would no doubt be mad when he returned, he wasn't looking forward to that conversation.

"I will not calm down Sesshomaru; you told me you had an eye on those humans when they killed that wolf elder. Now they're saying they've slipped away from the tracker demons and are somewhere on the east and south border!" Inuyasha slammed his fist nearly through the wooden table, causing a few jugs of sake to fall over spilling the contents.

"I don't see how this loss would affect us really; the humans have changed direction and won't be bothering our lands… let the eastern leaders worry about them." Inuyasha already decided the weasel clan were a bunch of no brain idiots, and the snarky old bastard at the end of the table just confirmed his suspicion.

Unlike those at the table Inuyasha had something to worry about, Keade's village fell right on the border between the east and west… it was only a matter of time before those humans would stumble upon his home and that would put his mate in danger.

'_I need to get back home before they get there… I need to protect Kagome.'_

* * *

"Lady Keade, lady Keade!" A group of young village girls came running down the path that leads from the center of the town up to the elderly priestess who just exited Miroku's hut.

"Yes children, how can I help ye today?"

"There's a group that just came into the village, Hisashi-san is there talking with them but he wished for your presence also."

"Oh, of course I will be right there."

The girls ran off again just as Kagome came outside, "Lady Keade, who was that?"

"Apparently we have more visitors to our fair village, I have been asked to meet with them and I wish for ye to join me as well child."

"Of course I will Keade!" _'I wonder who could possibly be causing such excitement among the villagers.'_

A few minutes later both women had arrived in the center of the village only to be greeted by a mass mob of those that lived nearby, Kagome easily spotted the girls that had come to get Keade at the outer circle of the group so she assumed the new guests were in the middle of the excitement.

"Ah lady Keade you've arrived I see," the headman's voice rose over the crowds which silenced everyone and the villagers stepped aside to allow the priestess through.

"That I have Hisashi-san, it was made known to me that ye requested my presence… I have also taken the liberty of bringing Kag-."

"Lady Kagome's here!" Masanori's high pitch like squeal reminded Kagome of her old friends she left in the future and it was just as annoying when he did it.

"Oh lady Kagome, I'm so glad you're here… you will have the greatest pleasure of meeting my master," the man appeared from the crowd and grabbed Kagome's hand dragging her back the way he came.

"You're master Masanori-san?" Kagome was quite shocked with this revelation; she couldn't believe this man could remain in one place long enough to be taught anything… and who had the patience of the kami to teach him?

"Yes he is a great man my lady, and I am certain he will gladly enlighten you with his great power… he is quite generous." The praise Masanori was giving this unknown man and the spark in his eye was making Kagome sick to her stomach.

"I… uh look forward to meeting him Masanori-san."

"Trust me my lady… you won't be disappointed. Sensei! Yukio-sensei!" Masanori waived ecstatically at the man in front of him; Kagome was able to get a better look at their guest from around Masanori's body that had been blocking her.

This Yukio was a much older gentleman and appeared to be dressed in the garbs of a monk, someone of much higher power than what Miroku once was, despite his status and the spiritual power he seemed to be emitting his aging face held a gentleness in his eyes but the smile he was giving them made Kagome uncomfortable… living in this time for so long she could tell he was up to something.

"Hello… it is a pleasure to meet you Kagome-same."

* * *

**Note: So we have another character introduced... wonder where this is going to lead. Masanori is hateful towards demons and he seems to have a little thing for Kagome as well... every man she meets seems to fall for her, Inuyasha isn't going to be happen about that. And it appears the group that Sesshomaru is watching is heading towards the village... everything is falling apart really and the pups aren't even here yet! Sorry if this chapter seems small... the next few I'll try to make longer.**

**Masanori- model of righteousness/justice  
Yukio-blessed hero**

**Thanks to:  
**Ldsprincess  
mangamichelle12  
RokStarrStyle  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
Shinju Ami Mikuu  
S0me18skittles  
phoenixoffireluvsanime  
corincat331  
edasama  
Msmes  
sexyinnocents  
Elizabeth Roses  
**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up!**


	12. Yukio's seemingly innocent plea

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"talking"

'_thinking'_

* * *

Though many believed the chill in the air was due to the coming winter's snow, Kagome believed this eerie sense was coming from the large group settling just outside of the village.

A few days ago Kagome was introduced to a man known as Yukio, apparently this man was the leader of a nomadic group of humans but he wouldn't give any more information while among the rest of the villagers. Now many travellers passed through the village so when one did, the people welcomed them openly; like with Masanori, Hisashi afford his hut to this new comer as a gesture of peace.

Yukio however declined the offer, quickly explaining that he was not alone, apparently the rest of their group had already settled just off the main road outside the village and he could not allow himself to live in such luxury while his people could not. Upon hearing this Masanori quickly agreed with his master, he decided to rejoin his fellow men… though his proclamation was far more elaborate than his teacher's; after a good twenty minutes of thanking just about everyone for how generous they were to him, Masanori left with Yukio but not without giving Kagome one massive headache.

Kagome had thought that the group, now with their lost member found, would simply just stay the night, rest up and then leave in the morning. She was extremely surprised come the next day while outside of Keade's hut cleaning herbs with Rin when Masanori, Yukio and a strange woman approached from the east.

"Lady Kagome, good morning!" Masanori's greeting drew raised eyebrows from both girls; Rin had never met the man before and therefore didn't know of his strange behavior. Despite living in the village for over a year now, little Rin was still hesitate around strange humans, Kagome and the girl had become rather close due to the dog brothers. It was during one of their many bath outings, since Sango now bathed when Miroku did, that Rin told Kagome about her life before meeting Sesshomaru. Kagome had never heard the little girl speak of her family, it wasn't surprising that at a young age her family was killed by bandits… it was amazing that she had survived; but what was so disheartening was how the human village she lived near treated her so harshly.

Kagome understood her reasoning for stealing food to survive, and the older woman was slightly pleased when Rin told her about the wolf demon attack, she realized later that it was Koga's tribe that had caused the attacks but that was the last human attack his wolves ever did… Kagome made sure of that.

Now knowing Masanori's hatred for demons, Kagome didn't want him to start spewing his hatred in front of her and upsetting Rin. She was very loyal to the western lord and Kagome didn't want Masanori knowing they were friendly to demons.

"Rin-chan, why don't you go inside and tell lady Keade we have company arriving?"

"Alright Kagome!" Rin left her basket and raced inside to do her bidding just as the three approached her.

"Oh lady Kagome, allow me to help you with that!" Masanori crouched down to snatch up Rin's discarded basket before Kagome could attempt to pick it up.

"Oh thank you Masanori-san," Kagome smiled uncomfortably with Yukio and the woman, who seemed very familiar, staring at her; she felt like she was putting on a show and they were the ones that she needed to entertain, luckily Keade stepped outside to greet them.

"Rin has said we have company, good morning Masanori-san, Yukio-sama and… I do not believe we have met before child?" Keade ushered the four into her hut.

"Nay Keade-sama, ye have not met; this be Chieko-sama… she is a priestess as Kagome-sama and yourself," Yukio smiled that creepy grin that caused shivers to run down Kagome's spine.

This Chieko hadn't taken her eyes off Kagome the entire time they were in each other's presence; she even went so far as to sit across the fire pit from the miko to observe her farther. Her cold hard gaze and tight posture did nothing to make Kagome fell any more comfortable, she wanted nothing more than to leave and return to her own hut but she just couldn't leave Keade alone with these three; she took a deep breath and prepared to serve tea and allow the older people to talk.

"Lady Keade, where did Rin go?" It was when Kagome was passing around the tea that she noticed the girl wasn't in the hut.

"I sent the child to Miroku-san's hut to check on his wife." The elderly priestess knew the child wouldn't take lightly if talk of demon came up so she thought it best to detract the girl by making her run an errand for her.

"Miroku-san? Masanori spoke of him… he tends the shrine in your absence Keade-sama, and yet he partakes in the sins of the flesh," Yukio's smile completely vanished and a look of disgust fell upon his face.

"Miroku-san at one time was studying to become a monk; however the boy had a curse placed upon him by a demon."

"Yes we are aware of the tale of Naraku my lady, a vile demon that killed many innocent humans. We are also aware that lady Kagome was the one to purge this world of his darkness… on behalf of my people and myself, I thank you," Yukio graciously bowed in Kagome's direction; Chieko and Masanori bowed as well, the ladder was practically kissing the wood floor with how low he was. After all three sat back up, Yukio looked back to Keade signaling for her to continue her explanation.

"The boy nearly died but while on his journey he fell in love with the demon slayer of their party and realized his calling was not to serve the kami. He does not perform in any of the rituals at the shrine; he merely takes care of what my old bones can no longer."

"The duties of shrine care are to be held with the reigning priestess or her apprentice… what does lady Kagome do?"

"Kagome is our village protector as she protected Masanori-san from the boar demon; she also assists myself in caring for Miroku-san's wife."

"Is the girl in some sort of danger that she requires two miko to care for her?" Kagome gripped her cup tightly as to not begin to scream at their guests, she knows she needed to remain quiet unless spoken to however she was becoming quite tired of all the questions when it should have been Keade asking them their intentions.

"Kagome is helping me because the woman is her dear friend and it would be wise she learn the role that is needed when assisting a birthing. Sango-san's condition is very delicate as she is caring twins."

"Hn… that should tell this Miroku-san something, the kami are not pleased he has turned away from them; he has surely sealed his wife's fate for death."

Kagome's entire body tensed at Chieko's words, had she not been so shocked she would have surely slapped her for her words regarding Sango. But as it were she was too frozen to do so, for you see since Kagome laid eyes on the woman something seemed oddly familiar about her… Kagome now knew why. _'It can't be… she… she sounds just like Kikyo!'_

Keade must have thought the same thing as her one eye widened to some degree after the woman spoke; however, having both lived with her sister during her childhood and spoken to her after she had been brought back to this world, Keade was able to put aside her feelings to speak. "Miroku-san knows the trouble his wife will bare but he be very attentive to her needs… we not be worried about the outcome," Keade calmly took another sip of her tea as the other woman tensed up once more. "There be a problem child?"

"No, no problem Keade-sama, I merely hope your confidence is warranted and both children and mother survive," Chieko's perfect nose scrunched up in displeasure at Keade's over confidence.

Yukio could clearly see his female companion was angered by the elderly priestess' words, but despite all this she should not have spoken so disrespectfully toward someone so wise. Chieko's true problem was that she didn't like others questioning her, that prideful characteristic was brought on by the fact that she has held the position of high priestess for some time in their group. She was also in charge of how the women divided the womanly responsibilities; so it was easy to say that when someone challenged her authority, she didn't take it well. Yukio was about to reprimand her for her behavior but Kagome's question directed at his pupil drew his attention.

"Will you now leave with your people Masanori-san?" Kagome meant for her question to give him the hint that she wanted him to leave without having to say it, but when she saw the sparkle in his eyes at her acknowledgement towards him, she knew he didn't get her meaning.

"Oh yes lady Kagome, I could never abandon my master."

"However we will not be leaving yet priestess… we have things to take care of here first," Yukio's words held a secret dark meaning behind them that Kagome didn't even want to ask what he meant by that, but seeing that glint in the man's eye again like when she first met him yesterday Kagome knew she would have to keep a close eye on what they were doing while in her village.

That meeting had been a few days ago and Yukio has not shown any sign yet of what he was planning; however, it became quite apparent that he was interested in her for some odd reason. Every day he would walk around the village and give time to the villagers if they approached him, he also accompanied both Masanori and Chieko to the shrine for the morning pray; but despite his seemingly busy schedule Kagome always found herself crossing paths with the priest many times during the day… his eyes were always watching her.

* * *

With winter just around the corner the harvest had begun, most of the villagers spent all day in the fields harvesting vegetables and preparing the soil for the snow that was to come in soon, the rest of the villagers were busy sorting the food that was brought in to the correct amounts for each family.

Both Kagome and Miroku were busy helping with the harvest and Kagome was also pickling vegetables for the winter; she made sure to get a lot of daikon to make takun for later. She cringed even now while pickling the white radish… why her mate loved the radishes she would never know, the smells alone were making her gag and she was certain if Inuyasha ever made this himself he would never eat them again.

"Lady Kagome, I see you're making takun… they will surely be delicious in a few months." Kagome nearly dropped the radish she was untying from the drying rack she had set up outside of her hut as Masanori's voice come out of nowhere… she hated when he did that. "Oh I apologize… I didn't mean to startle you my lady."

"No it's alright Masanori-san, I was quite distracted by what I was doing," when Kagome turned to greet the man her smile faded upon seeing Yukio there as well.

"You seem rather skilled in your task my lady, with all respect however by the expression on your face you don't seem to enjoy it."

"No I'm not rather fond of the smell while the pickling process begins," Kagome turned back to begin to add the correct amount of salt and other spices Inuyasha could both tolerate and like in his radish, she hoped when he returned he would be pleased that she made this for him.

"May I ask why you make it then if you don't like it… it seems an odd thing do to."

"Oh well my husband likes it so I make it for him," Kagome froze at what she just let slip from her mouth. After the group had left Keade's hut a few days ago it was decided that Kagome would not relieve her mating to Inuyasha, just the reaction over Miroku's marriage and caring for the shrine caused an uproar, Keade didn't want the girl to fall into trouble if she said she was married… and to a demon no less. Kagome had agreed but now she had let everything out, her cover was blown; she had no intention of letting it slip out but it was like her brain had stopped working for a second… and at the worst time to.

"Your… your husband lady Kagome?"

Even with her back to him, Kagome could hear the absolute heart break in the man's voice which only confirmed her suspicious that Masanori had developed some odd attraction towards her. She turned toward her guest with her head held high, she wasn't going to allow them to allow them to intimidate her about this new information she freely gave them.

Before answering Masanori's question Kagome carefully regarded both men in her presence, she didn't know how they would react to her next statement and she was alone, not knowing what they would do to her if they didn't like what she had to say.

Masanori was easy to figure out what he was thinking, his eyes were quite expressive when his emotions were involved, and right now they were brimming with unshed tears and she was quite certain his bottom lip was quivering trying to hold back a sob. Kagome tried not to flinch at his childish antics… he reminded her vaguely of Akitoki when he fell into one of his fits.

'_How in the world did this man survive this long exactly?'_

No Masanori wasn't going to be a problem… now Yukio was another story all together; Kagome's eyes locked with the older man who had yet to say one word the whole time they were there, his stare caused a chill to run down her spine.

"Lady Kagome… please say you are teasing… you couldn't possibly be married." Hearing Masanori's words snapped her out of the staring contest she was having with his master, she quickly became angry at his words.

"Yes Masanori-san it is true, I have a husband we have been together for over a year now."

"We were not given this information the other day my lady… and it is quite a shame that we were not introduced," Yukio's eyes sparkled with a devilish glint to them, Kagome knew she was in danger and needed to word herself carefully now.

"My husband is not present in the village at the moment Yukio-san, he is a merchant and spends a good amount of time away from home," it was only a partial lie and they never asked what he did so making up a job for Inuyasha wasn't a crime.

"He leaves you alone for such long periods… that is not how a husband is to treat his wife."

"Masanori-san please calm yourself," Kagome could see the same rage the man had for demons come upon his face when just thinking about her being alone.

"You are so kind my lady, any man that is lucky enough to have you look their way should be grateful, they should worship you like the princess you are," Masanori realized that his words were out of line and what he said caused him to blush, he practically put his very heart out there. And to make matters worse his master was there to witness his slip up, he could feel Yukio's gaze on the back of his head… all his training was going to waste.

Kagome was taken aback by his confession, and that's what it was she knew from experience when a man was expressing his love for her, she didn't know how to handle this. "Masanori… I assure you my husband treats me very respectfully, I am in a sense his lady," Kagome blushed, not feeling comfortable talking about her personal life with these strange men she barely knew.

"I… I apologize lady Kagome… my words were spoken out of turn… I… I must go to the shrine."

"Masanori… Masanori wait!" Kagome's plea was ignored as the man ran back into the main part of the village heading for the shrine. She quickly closed the pot of her pickling radishes so no demon would be lured to the village by the smell, and had planned to go after him to straighten things out but was stopped by Yukio.

"Please my lady… allow him the time he needs, he is confused and must clear his mind; if I may ask if you would please join me on a short walk so we may converse more," Yukio extended his arm in a pleasant manner, but Kagome knew he was not merely asking her to join him… the look he gave her demanded she go.

* * *

The peaceful, friendly walk Yukio had described didn't feel very friendly to Kagome; walking along the path around the perimeter of the village with this quiet priest was unnerving to Kagome. Being used to her mate who hated silence Kagome was about ready to scream just to make some sort of sound if she wasn't worried that Yukio would lecture her about it not being proper for a priestess.

Standing with the stern man made her feel like she was about to be scolded by her grandfather for bringing her boyfriend into the house without permission. She needed to distract herself from the tension building up so she began to fiddle with her robes, trying to flatten the creases in them was a lot harder to do when she was wearing them.

Yukio noticed his company's discomfort and it drew a secret smirk to his face, _'She may just be useful after all.'_ "My lady… do you travel outside of your village often?"

"Well… not recently no I have not; it's been a few months since I've left, with Sango-san so close to delivery and her delicate condition I've stayed close to help lady Keade."

"So you are unaware of current events in the south."

"Well Masanori-san spoke a little of what happened in his village… a tribe of wolf demon attacked?"

"Yes my student speaks the truth, I witnessed the massacre with my own eyes… it was truly gruesome."

"Yukio-san with all respect I find it quite hard to believe the wolves would attack."

"You question me my lady?" Yukio seemed disgusted with his own question, it was then that Kagome remembered she wasn't allowed to question men in this era; a disrespectful woman did not live an easy life in this world of men and Kagome didn't want to be one of them.

"By no means do I question what you say as truth Yukio-san; however, I have spoken to demon slayers and with their vast knowledge of demons the slayers learned that if wolves take mates they wouldn't attack the village they are in because they see everyone as becoming a member of their pack," Kagome was very careful not to mention that Sango was the demon slayer she learned this from, if Yukio knew it was a woman he would dismiss the information without a second thought.

"Demon slayers are no longer reliable sources for demonic knowledge nor with dealing with the creatures. Any human would be smart enough to know never to trust a demon, one can never let one's self be unguarded when near demons, the slayers have lost their way… wasn't there a village full of them not too far from this village that was slaughtered by a pack of demons not too long ago… they became too soft."

"They were not soft Yukio-san, what happened to them was tragic and Naraku's doing, and with all respect I wish you not talk about them while staying in this village," the last thing Kagome needed was Sango hearing this and becoming upset.

Yukio shot Kagome a hard glare for her back talk, it was becoming clear to him that this husband she had has not done well in teaching her her place… and speaking of this mysterious husband that no one knew about or have ever seen. "Alright then lady Kagome, we shall discuss other things… like your husband maybe?"

Kagome's body tensed up once again not happy with this topic either. "Wh-What about him, I thought I answered all questions that could come up about him," Kagome bit her lip, angry with herself for her stuttering.

"You answered Masanori's questions, though vaguely, but I have my own. You seem to tense whenever he is mention, are you ashamed of him?"

"What? No of course not… I love him."

"Then why, if you are proud of him, did you not mention him during our meeting?"

"I merely forgot, besides it's not very common for a priestess to marry so we have kept it a secret... only our village knows." Truthfully only those that are willing to accept Kagome and Inuyasha's union knew of their mating, those in the village that will never accept Inuyasha merely think he still protects Kagome out of duty… or that's what Kagome thought.

"It is true that miko rarely marry but sometimes the kami deem it so to be that one special priestess should marry and conceive… blessing this world with another child of great power that will follow in their mother's footsteps. I too married in my youth, sadly the kami did not see fit to grant us children and my wife died in a fire when our village was destroyed during Naraku's era. Ever since then I have been travelling the country side, I would assist villages that were under attack and those that had nowhere to go started following me on my journey. My latest apprentice, Masanori, was the only survivor of his village."

"Yes he told me that... his hatred towards demons, wolves in particular, is quite disheartened."

"His hatred is justified my lady, he did not tell you his reasoning for that malice did he? You see Masanori was very well liked in his village, a nice wife whom he told me you reminded him of."

Kagome was floored and somewhat heart broken, it all made sense now why he was so attentive of her, she reminded him of his probably dead wife… it was like having to deal with Kikyo all over again.

Yukio saw the pain flash across Kagome's face and her normally bubbly spiritual aura was practically snuffed out like candle flame, he did not know of her troubles with past lovers of men so he was confused by her depression. "Of course this was all before the wolves came to the village. He told me his young wife was tricked by a wolf into falling in love with it. When the spell wore off the beast took her away and forced itself upon her and she bore its half breed spawn. When Masanori told the village leaders what became of his wife wishing for help it was too late, the wolves already took over. The boy was seen as a fool and ostracized from his home… it was only by mere chance that I stumbled upon him in the woods or he would be dead by now; it wasn't long after that that the wolves began to kill the villagers. Masanori's good heart couldn't let them suffer so he begged that we help his people… unfortunately we weren't able to stop them," Yukio's words were tragic and heart clenching, but no matter how convincing he seemed to think he was, Kagome still didn't believe him. If he knew demons like she did he would question why the wolves would kill their own; however, now Kagome was able to obtain a little more information on the reason why Masanori hates demons so much.

"I am sorry Yukio-san it is truly sad about Maranori's past."

"It is not just his past my lady, this is our present! Demons roam freely upon our world and as the kami servants it is our job to protect the innocent human race from them… we must destroy them all!"

'_Not all humans are innocent,'_ Kagome frowned thinking about all the humans that mistreated Inuyasha throughout his life when he was a half demon, not to mention what Jinenji and little Shiori had to go through… yeah humans were innocent creatures.

"And that's why we came here Kagome," Yukio grabbed Kagome's hands that lay idly at her sides and pulled them up between their bodies holding them tightly, "We need your help to cleanse these lands of those hellish creatures."

"W-What!" Kagome tried to pull herself away from the man out of shock but feeling the girl try and jerk away caused Yukio to tighten his grip on her hands locking her in place.

"My lady please you must listen to me, they won't stop, demons will take over this world and quickly if we don't stop them. We need your power on our side, that's why we sought you out."

"Y-You were looking for me!" Kagome was now in a mass panic, she knew there was a reason this man gave off such a dark vibe.

"We have heard of your talent when fighting against Naraku and how you cleansed this world of his dark taint single handedly… please help us, help my people… help Masanori avenge what was taken from him."

At the mention of his student Kagome finally was able to free herself from his grasp, "Revenge is what you seek, Yukio-san a holy man such as yourself should be above petty human emotions. I will not go hunting down demons, that is not the reason the kami blessed us with spiritual power. As a miko I am only to use my power to heal and protect… and I will only do that in my village."

"My lady please your skill is known throughout the country, you bring fear to the demon world; your village will survive without you just as it did while you journeyed to defeat Naraku… what do you have here that ties you down?"

"My family is here, lady Keade has aged and needs my help with many things, Sango is nearly ready to give birth and I will tend to her, and my husband will question my sudden absence… and you would not wish to cross him."

"Your merchant husband isn't what I would worry about my lady, I would fear when the demons catch wind that you cower here in your village; they will come and kill your people just like every other village before… I truly hope you are able to protect them," Yukio turned and headed into the village leaving Kagome unable to answer him.

Kagome was about to retort back, despite whether or not he would be able to hear her, that she was no coward as he claimed but a familiar demonic aura swept over her senses and caused her to panic, _'Oh kami… what is he doing here now!'_

* * *

**Note: Sorry for this taking so long, I was dealing with finales for classes and I got my wisdom teeth taken out this past friday so it too longer than I planned. More fluff basically is happening in this chapter, we find out why Masanori hates demons so much and that Yukio wants Kagome to help them cleanse the world of all demons. I wonder who is in the village that is causing Kagome such panic... more is in store for our friends in the next chapter!**

**Chieko-child of intelligence/wisdom  
daikon- radish  
takun- pickled radish**

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	13. The real truth part 1

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

And all the only stuff I got tired of writing up here...

* * *

Sheer panic drove Kagome's limbs to move as she raced back towards her hut, several times during the trip she cursed as she stumbled over her hakama questioning why she was wearing them instead of the normal wrap skirt she usually wore. She gave a dry laugh when she remembered why she was in the miko robes… it was because Yukio and his group thought she was Keade's apprentice and living the life of a priestess.

This meant she needed to look the part so instead of the skirts and kimono that Inuyasha bought her Kagome has been wearing the old miko robes Keade lent her; however, they weren't made for running and that brought her difficultly now. But she pushed through her falls because she needed to get home, _'Kami, I need to get him out of the village… if Yukio senses him he'll stop at nothing to kill him.'_

Kagome's lungs burned for much needed oxygen but she refused to slow down, a sign of relief escaped her parted lips as her hut came into view; however, her heart only accelerated when the demonic aura rose greatly the closer she got. She raced up the stairs on to the veranda and was just about to reach out for the door when it flew open revealing the man she feared to see.

"Hey Kagome, there you are!"

"Koga, you need to leave now!" Kagome snatched up the shocked wolf's wrist and began dragging him out of the hut.

"Whoa, whoa easy woman, I know mutt face don't like me much but I doubt he'll care I stopped by; I was only in the place for a second looking for you."

"No Koga, it's not that really I don't have time to explain please you just need to leave the village, it's not safe for you here right now."

"Not safe?" Koga easily broke Kagome's hold over him and began sniffing the air for danger, "Kagome, what's going on? All I can smell is your fear, why are you scared? And where is Inuyasha? His scent is really old around here, why isn't he protecting you?"

"Koga I don't have time to answer those questions but please believe me you need to get away now!"

"Woman calm down I ain't going anywhere, not with you all flustered like this anyway… plus I need your help with something," Koga's light blue eyes darkened slightly showing his seriousness and his stubbornness about not leaving.

Kagome knew that look well, it was the same look Inuyasha gave when he was about to do something stupid, she sighed in defeat knowing she wouldn't be able to change his mind; her eyes gained a small bit of their normal sparkle back however when she let his words sink in. "Wait… you need my help? What's wrong is something wrong with Ayame… is the baby alright?" A whole new set of worries flooded the small woman thinking something happened to her friend's little child.

"What… no Ayame and the cub are fine; they're up in the north with the rest of the pack… I ain't stupid enough to bring them with me for this."

Kagome was extremely relieved knowing nothing was wrong with the little wolf cub, but now she was even more curious as to know why Koga would leave his mate and child to come see her. "Koga, what is it you need of me then?"

"It's better if I show you rather than explaining; however with what happened he won't come into your village no matter what I say… will you come with me so I can show you Kagome?" Koga smiled, extending his hand to the girl.

Unlike the fear she felt when Yukio invited her for a walk Kagome felt none of that right now with the wolf demon, she knew Koga would never hurt her and would protect her if there was danger so she gladly accepted his invitation and followed him into the woods behind her hut.

* * *

Even with the sun being at its highest point in the sky the shadows cast by the large trees in Inuyasha's forest blocked the light from reaching the ground; Kagome shivered from the crisp air the farther away from the village they travelled into the woods.

Koga noticed the slight movement from his friend and cursed himself for not allowing her to grab a wrap to fight off the cold, "Gah, I'm sorry Kagome I should have let you grab something to keep you warm… when we get to the camp you can use one of our furs."

"No it's okay Koga I didn't realize how cold it was out wait… did you say camp!" Kagome's numbness was completely forgotten at the mention of possibly more than one wolf demon in the area. Koga didn't answer her, causing her to panic more, and then he moved forward through the brush; a few minutes later Kagome was able to make out voices from behind a tree.

"For the last time, stop touching me you morons!"

"B-But Nobuo-sama please calm down, Koga ordered that you rest or you would reopen your wounds before he returns."

"Please Nobuo-sama we don't want Koga to become angry with us because we couldn't stop you from moving."

"I don't give a damn what that insolent cub demands of you idiots, I will not take orders from him!"

"Ah!"

"No stop!"

Kagome had to quiet her laughter at hearing both Ginta and Hakkaku seemingly struggling with another man she didn't recognize.

"Hey Nobuo, sit down and be quiet," Koga barked as he rounded the tree, not the least bit happy that the other wolf was clearly disobeying his orders.

"You dare command me cub? You've only been the leader of the northern tribe for twelve moons and your head is already the size of an oni's ass, you think you know what is best for me!"

"Koga, you're back!"

"Did you bring sister with you Koga?" Ginta and Hakkaku were quite relieved to see their fearless leader had returned to them and hopefully he was able to bring the friendly priestess with him.

"Keh, of course I brought her, she's probably the only one that can help this jerk."

"Jerk! I'll show you who's alpha you disrespectful whelp, how the elders decided you could rule is beyond me. The old wolf's granddaughter must have been quite desperate to pick you for a mate."

"Silence your tongue before I rip it out of your mouth you ungrateful mutt, and if you mention Ayame again so disrespectfully I will end your life here and now!" Kagome had never heard Koga roar so loudly at someone before, she felt his aura flare out to show his dominance over the other male and she prayed those in the village didn't notice the power flux and come to investigate.

With all that was going on around her Kagome now wanted to know what Koga was dragging her into; she slipped from around the tree to get a better look at her surroundings but she was still over shadowed by Koga's larger body in front of her shielding her from the strange male.

However, even with the man blocking her partial it didn't mean she couldn't see what was going on; Kagome had to cover her mouth or risk her horrified gasp from escaping at the sight before her. There wasn't just the four wolves in this small clearing, it was looked like a grand battle accrued in the small area… there were wolves littering the field, some laying on the ground and others trying to help those injured… a lot of the bodies weren't moving.

Kagome held back her tears and looked back to Koga for answers; it was then that she noticed the wolf closest to her must have been the one arguing with Koga before. He was propped up against a tree and there wasn't a doubt in her mind that he was in pain, his eyes were closed and he was breathing deeply but barely moving. From having firsthand knowledge of Koga's tribe and by looking at this particular wolf's markings and furs dressing his armor he wasn't one of his men.

"Oh sister you came, Koga said he was going to retrieve you!" Ginta appeared in Kagome's line of sight causing her to jump and blocking her view of the strange demon.

"Hey! I just said that Ginta what are you deaf?" Koga growled at the over excitedness of his pack brother.

"Koga, what happened to these men," Kagome looked back across the field at the gruesome sight.

"Well… you see Kagome-."

"What is wrong with you! You bring one of them straight to us… the bitch will call those others and finish us off!" The enraged roar from the wolf lying on the ground interrupted Koga's explanation and scared the hell out of Kagome. The man's deep purple eyes glared hatefully in her direction as he began to rise to this feet, the intent to kill evident on his face and every fiber of her being told Kagome to run.

"Sit back down Nobuo, she ain't one of them trust me, she's probably the only one who can help you," Koga stepped in front of Kagome to protect her from the angry wolf.

'_Help him? He looks fine to me if he was ready to kill me!'_ Kagome was about ready to retort Koga's statement when a wave of spiritual power suddenly came from Nobuo and he howled in pain as his body began to glow an angry red and the he suddenly collapsed back to the ground barely conscious; Hakkaku went over and helped him back into a sitting position against the tree like before.

"See you're more stubborn than a mule demon, that damn charm drains any energy you have and unless it comes off you're going to die." Koga, seeing no more threat, moved away from Kagome so she could get a good look at the other wolf again.

"A charm?" Kagome's statement went unnoticed by the men; she then began looking over the injured man for any signs of a spiritual charm on his person.

"Don't just go blabbing information whelp, you can't trust a human no matter how weak they seem," Nobuo sized up Kagome with a smirk on his face seeing how angry she quickly became from his words.

"Weak, you think I'm weak!" Kagome overcame her fear of this demon and now found herself quarreling with the wolf like she would her own mate.

"I don't think… I know human, I've fought oni with stronger aura than you," Nobuo turned away from her clearly finished conversing with her.

"Why you… ah, Koga why did you drag me out here if this jerk can't even stand to look at me."

"Sister, please calm down, Nobuo-sama hasn't had the best experience with humans as of late so it's hard for him to trust them now," Ginta could sense the tension coming from Kagome and knowing what she could do with her powers he wanted to calm down as much as possible so she didn't accidently purify them all in her rage.

"Just because of that doesn't mean he needs to be rude… he's acting like a child."

"You're the one that is pouting human so how am I the cub?"

"Nobuo shut up, Kagome is a friend of my pack and therefore can be trusted… but if you want to die from your own stupidity go ahead," Koga was now completely fed up with the other wolf's antics, he came down from the north to help the near death southern tribe and their leader; he asked his only human friend with spiritual powers to help and now the stubborn mutt was insulting her.

Nobuo made no reaction to Koga's words, and refused to acknowledge anyone present at the moment which caused the northern leader's rage to spike farther, "Stupid bugger… I apologize for dragging you out here for nothing Kagome; it seems this was all a waste of time for everyone."

Seeing as there was no point in arguing with the stubborn man, Kagome conceded to Koga's apology, "It's okay Koga… it was nice seeing you and when Inuyasha comes home we'll make sure to visit Ayame and the baby."

"Yeah she would like that, the older wolves are getting on her nerves trying to tell her how to care for the cub… it would be a nice change for her to see you." Since it appeared she wasn't needed, and Koga wasn't going to waste her time, he helped her back to the village… both were unaware of the purple eyed gaze on their backs as they disappeared back into the forest.

* * *

Even though she was back in the village and no one sounded the alarm that demons were present, Kagome still felt uneasy because the wolves had yet to move from the clearing they were in… the whole situation was stressful.

It was near dusk and Kagome was cooking a small dinner for herself since Inuyasha hasn't returned home yet when a low flux of demonic aura followed quickly by a large flow of spiritual power reached her senses and caused her to jump not expecting it so close to her home.

Both died out quickly and Kagome thought it may have been a small demon that stumbled upon her sutra that protected the land her hut was on. Since Inuyasha was gone often, he insisted that she be protected and so Miroku wrote up the charms and both Keade and Kagome blessed them then placed them on the grounds; they only come to life if a demon with ill intent comes upon her home.

Just as everything calmed down and she went back to the fish she had on the fire, the same demonic aura flared up again just outside of her hut. _'What is going on out there?'_ Kagome grabbed her bow for protection and went to the door not knowing what awaited her.

"Pri… priestess."

Kagome had just placed her hand on the door when a male's voice broke the silence of the night; she immediately recognized the voice and dropped her bow racing outside to see the wolf from earlier struggling to remain standing in front of her home.

"Nobuo-sama?" Earlier when Kagome saw this man she was so distracted by his rude behavior towards her that she completely missed the fact that he was missing his right arm and half of his right side was very badly burned; she completely forgot about their fighting earlier and raced to his side helping him a little by letting him lean on her as she helped him inside her hut.

Once inside she helped him sit down against the wall as she went to retrieve any medical supplies she could find. "You really shouldn't have left the forest Nobuo-sama, it's not safe for demons in the village right now," Kagome returned to his side with a bowl of water she put close to the fire to warm up, a piece of cloth to clean his wounds and a bunch of different balms she made for healing were at her side.

"Keh, I'm not scared of dying it that's what you're worried about," Nobuo was still indifferent towards her but he wasn't as mean as before almost as if he was putting up a front while around Koga and his men.

"Why did you change your mind about me helping you all of a sudden?" Kagome brought the bowl of warmed water over to her and then began dunking the cloth to wet it; she hesitantly began cleaning the wounds along his left arm and across the parts of his legs that weren't covered by fur. The wolf was silent at first and Kagome thought he wasn't going to answer her, he reminded her of how Inuyasha was when she first met him; she had a feeling if she was patient with him like with her mate he would eventually answer her.

"You… you didn't tell me you were lord Inuyasha's mate."

"I didn't know I needed to tell you… what would it have done if I did?"

"I would have trusted you for one thing… and let you help like the cub wanted, it would have saved us all a lot of trouble," Nobuo's eyes darted around the large sitting room never meeting Kagome's stare, though she didn't miss the pink tinting his cheeks, he was most likely embarrassed about his behavior earlier.

Of course Kagome would forgive him since she understood demons fear of humans, though she wished to know why he feared them so. "I shall remember that next time, though I don't really like to throw my mate's name around during conversation, normally people respect me for my own talents," Kagome rung out the bloody cloth and set it aside then took up the balm and began to rub it into the wounds; from experience with healing Inuyasha, Kagome knew the small cuts would heal within the next few hours so she didn't bother wrapping them… she would have to find something to do with his right arm, or what was left of it.

"You are a priestess; demons will not trust you no matter how trustworthy you actually are."

"I am not a priestess, I have spiritual powers yes but I was never trained as one."

"It doesn't matter; your power alone is enough to mark you as one."

"You don't seem to like them very much… is there a reason behind it?" Kagome suddenly jumped back when Nobuo's aura spiked and it was quickly followed by the spiritual power sucking his aura dry leaving him breathless and in pain.

Once he was able to catch his breath a growl erupted from his chest, "Yeah there is a reason… a priestess did this to me!"

"The charm Koga mention, she put it on you?"

"It's not a charm, it's a seal, and she couldn't kill me so she placed it on me hoping it would do the job… damn humans." Nobuo bowed his head to where his chin practically rested on his chest, the seal was draining his energy fast and he needed it removed now or he will be dead before sunrise… after everything that has happened to him he was surprised he's lived this long.

Kagome had moved over to the wolf's more injured side and observed the damage near the wound, there was no blood near the base and something was used to cauterize it so it wouldn't become infected and heal; with his demon blood it seemed to be healing just fine so Kagome decided not to disturb it.

It was then that she noticed a strange marking on his neck; it looked almost like a tattoo that a kid from her time would get only this had symbols she couldn't recognize. Despite never seeing such a mark before, Kagome was extremely intrigued and didn't waste a lot of time in examining it; however, the second she touched the mark Nobuo howled in pain and his body completely seized up.

"Oh kami, I'm sorry Nobuo-sama!" Kagome didn't understand what caused his body to react in such a way, his body had begun to glow white before freezing up and she realized it was her that was causing him pain and she removed her hand from his neck, the moment she did his body released its tense state and he growled at her again.

"Don't do that again woman," his left arm went up to his neck but he wasn't able to touch where the mark wasn't either, a spark shot out from the mark and zapped his claw tipped hand, the smell of burnt flesh came across Kagome's nose.

"Nobuo-sama, what is that mark? I've never seen anything like it before," Kagome wanted to touch the mark again but refrained from doing so because she didn't want to hurt him again.

"You've never seen it; doesn't the priestess in this village use binding seals?"

"Binding seals?" Kagome thought back to all the information Keade bestowed upon her during her shard hunting days; there was never a mention of binding ink seals for demons. Kagome remembered the older priestess showing her how to unleash the same binding seal Kikyo used to bind Inuyasha but that was with an arrow not ink, and Inuyasha still wore his binding necklace that Keade placed on him but those were the only ones she knew. "No I've never seen one like this, binding seals are made to control demons not torture them to death… if I could just take a better look at it I'm sure I could find a way to remove it."

"And how would that happen woman, anytime someone touches it I get a jolt of purification energy shot through my body that is nearly strong enough to kill me."

"I know it gives you great pain but it may be the only way to relieve you of it."

"If it is the only way I can handle it, I've dealt with greater pain then this mark," Nobuo tilted his head giving her access to his neck, for a wolf this was the ultimate sign of trust; baring one's neck was a sign of submission and put them in a very vulnerable position… but he fought his instincts to attack Kagome for being so close.

"Nobuo-sama?"

Kagome's soft voice near his pointed elf ear drew him from his thoughts. "What?"

"If I'm able to rid this seal from you… will you tell me how you lost your arm?" A whole new pain coursed through the wolf's body, a deep ache he had buried inside of himself rushed to the surface thinking about the reason behind the 'how' he lost the appendage; just thinking about it now brought him to a very depressed state, his will to live completely leaving him. "Nobuo-sama… will you tell me?"

The wolf took a deep breath to relax his body, closing his eyes a small smile came to his lips as the vision of a young girl with chocolate brown hair and hazel colored eyes came to his mind when he heard Kagome's plea. Opening his eyes again only to see that he was in a strange hut with a woman he barely knew waiting for his response his spirit that had begun to rise a second ago fell to a point of barely living as he sighed in defeat, not even having the energy to fight her, "Yeah Kagome… I'll tell you."

* * *

**Note: Okay so some guessed Inuyasha would be here and a lot guessed Koga, of course the wolf was the one, and now we have another new character that will be here for a few chapters but not long so don't get attached to him. The next chapter we'll find out a little bit more of just who Nobuo is, and if you read this chapter carefully I gave a slight hint as to who he was.**

**Nobuo- faithful/trustworthy man**

**Thanks to:  
**S0me18skittles  
XxGoddess-Of-LovexX  
Inunette  
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	14. The real truth part 2

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"talking"

_'thinking'_

**Nobuo's past**

* * *

Satisfied she go the answer she wanted from the wolf Kagome smiled and went back to examining the seal on his neck; she was so focused on her task that she didn't notice the look of depression come across his face.

Kagome observed the ink burned into his flesh, she began testing the resistance of the mark she wanted see how close she could get to it before it started to react by shocking Nobuo. _'Just as I thought, who ever put this on him isn't as strong as they want us to believe; the mark doesn't start to glow until my fingers are practically touching his neck… whoever put it on focused more energy on keeping it protected than making it permanent. It won't take much to remove it but it will put him in a lot pain to get rid of it," _Kagome was confident in her ability to remove the mark of a second rate priestess, but she feared what it would cost Nobuo if she did so.

"Why are you just staring at me now?"

"Oh sorry, I was just thinking it won't be a problem to remove the mark but I would need to purify it off your neck… I don't know how much power it will take and I've never had to remove a seal like this before so…"

"So I may die while you're removing it or I could just wait the next few hours and let the seal just drain me dry… I'll chance the purification that way at least I fought till the death; I already told you pain doesn't affect me and I ain't afraid to die so burn the damn thing off!"

"Alright you don't need to yell, and don't get mad at me after this is over because of the pain," Kagome stuck out her tongue this time acting much like the child he claimed she was hours ago.

"Oh that's real mature and I'm allowing you to use your untrained miko powers to zap this mark off my neck, I truly must be desperate." Nobuo's morbid joking caused Kagome to sober up quickly and drew her back to the situation at hand.

"Do you think you could lie on your stomach while I do this?" Most of Inuyasha's more brutal injuries and those that caused him extreme pain Kagome made him lie flat on his stomach that way in case he passed out he wouldn't injure himself if he fell over.

"I could probably do so; however the armor could be a bit of a problem."

"Oh yeah," whenever Inuyasha needed to be healed he wasn't wearing armor so he was comfortable or he wouldn't wear any shirts at all just to show off for her. Kagome's face flamed just thinking of Nobuo stripping to his bare chest; she knew the armor needed to come off and she also knew there was nothing under that metal.

Now don't misunderstand, Kagome was nowhere near attracted to the wolf, but he was a male and a nice looking on at that and her mate hasn't been home to tend to her 'needs' in a month… so her heart was fluttering just thinking about seeing him topless.

'_Wait what are you thinking girl! You're a mated woman, you shouldn't be wondering what this man looks like… think of Inuyasha, think of Inuyasha, think of Inuyasha!'_

"Kagome?"

Kagome froze in fear, one minute she was trying to focus on her mate's image in her head so she wouldn't be thinking about Nobuo; but she was concentrating so hard that now she swore she could hear Inuyasha's voice which wouldn't be good in a situation like this.

Kagome opened her eyes and looked to the hut door expecting to see her angry mate standing there questioning just what his woman was doing with another man and a wolf at that; but she was shocked when no one was standing there.

'_That's weird I could have sworn I just heard-.'_

"Kagome?"

She jumped hearing the voice again only when she turned back around did she realize it was Nobuo calling her… his voice sounded so much like Inuyasha's at that moment. "Uh… yes Nobuo-sama?" _'Get a hold of yourself Kagome, this man is nothing like Inuyasha!'_

"Could you give me a hand with this?" Nobuo motioned to the cloth that kept the armor strapped to his body; with only one arm it was quite hard for him to do certain things.

"Um… yay sure." _'This is nothing, don't think too much into it you're like his doctor and he's a patient… you're practically married and you do this all the time. Though Keade is normally present doing most of the work and the village men aren't as appealing to look at… gah want am I thinking! Nobuo is not… well I mean yeah he's nice to look at but Inuyasha is way more attractive, wait why am I comparing them!'_

While Kagome was in her own panicking mind over how to not watch Nobuo undress, said wolf demon had already managed to release the ties of his armor that kept it to his body; however, he was unable to remove metal from his body with only one arm… that's where Kagome came in if she would focus. _'Are all humans as spacey as she is? How is it that such powerful demons find such weird mates?'_

Kagome suddenly came out of her stupider when Nobuo began to growl lowly in frustration, wolves always had short fuses and if you got on their nerves they were likely to bite you.

"Sor… sorry Nobuo-sama," she saw the straps of his armor hanging loose and the metal barely on his body, she moved to his side again and pushing down her raging hormones she was able to help remove the armor, leaving the wolf bare chested. Like Koga and the other wolves he had a very nice skin complexion, tanned from the sun and running all day has given him a very nice body… kami Kagome wished Inuyasha was here so she could just rub her hands all over his body and draw her attention away from the wolf… she was that flustered.

With his armor now gone, Nobuo gingerly lowered his body to the floor of the hut the small burns that marred his chest irritated him when they brushed against the wood but the rest of his injuries were numbed by the balm Kagome used which was a small relief to him. Lying flat on his stomach was quite uncomfortable and with only one arm to rest his head upon this was not the ideal position he would want to be in.

"Okay Nobuo-sama, I'm… I'm going to start," Kagome brushed his long side bangs away from his neck to get a better look at the area she would be working around; she was also debating with herself for a few minutes if she should put a sutra on his back, not to hurt him but just keep his body from moving while removing the seal. With the pain that was going to be shooting through his body she knew his instincts would kick in and he would try to move away from the pain, which may cause even greater damage.

"Just do it Kagome and get it over with. If I die, I die."

'_What is with him? It's like he has no will left to want to survive… it's almost like he wants me to kill him.'_ Kagome shook that thought from her mind that was something she didn't need to think about while going to perform this very difficult surgery. She closed her eyes and began to meditate like how Miroku showed her; it was the fastest way to draw on her spiritual power and the easiest way to control it once it was free. Once she felt she had enough power she quickly directed it to her index finger of her right hand which she had pointed at Nobuo's neck. How she figured this would work would be just as if she were burning off a tattoo from her era, though she has never done or seen the process before doesn't mean she couldn't do it… right?

'_Don't question yourself if you do then you won't be able to help him.'_ Kagome cleared her mind and just focused on removing the mark from his skin. Her finger moved closer to his neck and she felt the first sign of resistance, it felt like a very then barrier covered the mark and prevented her from touching it; but it was very weak and didn't take much on Kagome's part to break through it. It felt almost like a bubble popping and then a warm feeling engulfed her finger when she finally touched his skin.

Nobuo's skin began to itch and all his instincts were screaming that he run the moment her spiritual power rose; he needed to remind himself that she wasn't going to intentionally hurt but with his run ins with powerful humans as of lately weren't go ones it was rather hard to calm his body down.

He knew the second she attempted to penetrate the seal, it felt like she was poking a blade into his neck it was rather annoying and he had to fight to remain still. The exact moment Kagome broke through the seal's barrier Nobuo felt like he was stabbed in the heart, hot searing pain shot form his neck to every other part of his body. He dug his claws into the woods panels of the floor and gritted his teeth to hold back his howl of pain; he was quite certain that this pain was worse than when the seal was placed on him.

The longer and more intense Kagome's power was left on his body the more he felt like he was dying; he could feel the flesh on his neck burning off the muscle or at least that is what it felt like to him. He could feel both his demonic aura and the seal's power fighting against Kagome, Nobuo could see bright colors from all the aura present in the room and he could already feel his energy fading away; at the rate this was going his strength would be leaving him soon since he's been fighting the seal for so long already, that means Kagome's aura would over power him too and he would die.

'_Ironic… I've endured so many things in my long life and the one time I cross paths with humans I lose everything… and yet I don't regret a second of it.'_ Nobuo closed his eyes giving into the pain his tired body could no longer stand. Though with the pain as an afterthought and his body completely shutting down, he was able to think about better times; soft laughter filled his sharp ears as the color of the auras dance across his eyelids creating a dazzling background for the woman he thought of before to stand in front of. She was just as beautiful as he remembered her being, her scent of fresh rain water was want caught his attention in the first place, never had he thought a human's scent would be so alluring to a full demon like himself.

He could see her clearly now beckoning him to come to her, live his lonely life behind and find peace in her soft arms_, 'Nobuo-sama, I miss you so, it is so lonely without you by my side, they cannot keep us apart forever my love.'_

'_I assure you nothing will keep us apart for much longer, I foresee my time among the living ending soon and then I shall be with you and my comrades soon my Emi.'_

A gorgeous smile came to the girl's face, _'I shall be waiting for you Nobuo-sama.'_

As Nobuo began to lose consciousness the image in his mind began to fade, the girl slipping through his fingers once again. _'Emi… I will come back to you I swear it.'_ "Emi."

* * *

It was dark, everything was still and the world was silent. Sound came first as the chirps of birds greeting the day and rustling from a closer distance filled his ears. Smell came next as his senses were bombarded by a mix of grilled fish over a fire and the crisp air of the day. Heavy lids lifted over deep purple irises catching the sun of the late fall morning seeping through the window flaps of the hut; the world was coming back to Nobuo slowly… he survived the night.

"Hey, you're awake, how are you feeling?" A soft voice reached his ears and he looked over towards the fire spotting the young woman who had to have spoken to him, she gave him a warm smile and then went back to fixing up breakfast.

It took him a minute to recognize the woman, after all he shouldn't be in human village and his nose wasn't lying to him about being in one, and then he remembered what happened last night. _'The seal,'_ Nobuo's hand reached up to where the mark was but was hesitant to see if it was still there.

"It's gone… there's a small burn mark from my purification but with your demonic healing I'm sure it will go away in a few days," Kagome saw him move and then stop before touching his neck and she felt the need to explain it to him. She was rather proud of herself in her accomplishment, after he fell unconscious and his demon stopped fighting her it didn't take half as much power as she thought it would to remove the mark; she never did a removal before and all that left was a burn, she had to give herself a pat on the back.

'_It's gone, I survived and now I will most certainly live to a ripe old age of who knows how long unless I cross paths with another priest with a grudge… it seems I won't be with you for a long while my Emi,'_ a deep sigh escaped Nobuo as he fisted his hand and had to stop himself from breaking the floor boards in frustration.

Kagome could feel his anger and became confused by his reaction to her words, surely he was relieved that his life was no longer in danger; she wanted to get to the bottom of his frustration, knowing food always helped open up her mate Kagome brought over the fish and rice she made. "I'm sorry I couldn't put you in a more comfortable place to sleep for the night… we only have two futons right now and one's a child sized one. And my mate wouldn't be pleased if you used ours, Koga and he are friendly but Inuyasha wouldn't be pleased with wolf smell on it," Kagome blushed not believing the words that were leaving her mouth, so much for trying to get him to talk.

"Feh, I wouldn't want the smell of dog on me either thanks, we may be distant relatives but we never want to be that close."

Kagome giggled at his words, "Well at least you admit that you're somewhat related, Koga and Inuyasha would adamantly deny that even acted the same when everyone knows they have a lot of similar tendencies."

"Yeah well… the whelp is rather stubborn," Nobuo shifted slightly to get a little more comfortable, he still was bare chested though now he noticed there was a blanket around his waist, Kagome must have put it on him the previous night to keep the cold away.

"You call Koga a whelp, that's a term Sesshomaru used to use with Inuyasha… in a disrespectful manner might I add."

"Sometimes I too use it to berate the northern leader yes; however, most of the time it is what older demons call the young," Nobuo took up a bit of fish and sniffed it, being a demon he normally ate his meals raw, the only time he ever had anything cooked was when _**she**_ made it for him.

Kagome glared when she spotted the wolf checking her cooking, it reminded her how Inuyasha acted when they first met, _'They're all some much alike and they don't see it?'_ "You can't be that much older than Koga right? I mean I know demons live a long time and that Koga is even older than Inuyasha but you don't even look that old."

"You should never underestimate a demon woman; we look young to fool our enemies. Your mate is still considered a pup among our kind, I will not reveal my true age, but I am even older than lord Sesshomaru."

'_He's… older than Sesshomaru?'_ Kagome was taken back at that information, she knew Inuyasha was over two hundred and his brother was far older, the exact number she didn't know… but this man was older than that!

She pushed that headache aside for now, she decided that since he wasn't going to freely tell her what was wrong she was just going to have to ask him out right. But just as she was about to ask what was wrong, a soft knock at the door drew both occupancies of the hut's attention.

"Kagome-sama… may I speak with you for a moment?"

"Lady Chieko!"

"Who?" Nobuo didn't recognize the name but the female's scent behind the door was oddly familiar and it made his skin crawl.

"Kagome-sama? Is someone in there with you?"

'_Oh no! If she sees Nobuo in here she'll tell Yukio and they'll try and kill him!'_ "I'm coming Chieko-sama, I'll be right there!" Kagome grabbed the blanket she had laid on the wolf demon the night before and threw it over his shoulder, "Nobuo-sama please stay here and don't make a sound… if she out you're here-."

"Who is she Kagome, I recognize her scent," Nobuo didn't like the scent of fear coming from Kagome, he may not trust humans but he did trust Kagome and this other woman was making her uncomfortable… something must be done about her.

Kagome quickly jumped up and raced over to the door to prevent Chieko from opening it and spotting her visitor. Once she was certain the wolf wouldn't move, she opened the door and came face to face with the older woman who clearly wasn't pleased that she was told to wait. "Chieko-sama… how can I help you this morning?" Luck was on Kagome's side because when the door was open it blocked the wolf demon from the view of the person outside.

The overly arrogate priestess narrowed her muddy brown eyes at the young girl, something was already off about what she walked up to; she had been weary of the younger priestess since their travelling party arrived in the village… and now she wished to get to the bottom of it all. "Lady Kagome, is someone in there with you?" She didn't fail to notice that the girl didn't answer her first question, and the way she was standing in front of door and when Kagome didn't invite her inside raised Chieko's suspicious.

"What? Oh no there's… it's just a patient of mine, he comes to me every morning to apply a balm to some burns he received in a fire not too long ago," Kagome couldn't completely lie, but saying the man was burned may deter the other woman from wanting to come inside.

"If there is an injured man then shouldn't he be seeking treatment at Keade-sama's hut?"

"Oh well, he's pretty shy around a lot of people and since my hut is on the outskirts of the village he is more comfortable here, I am able to apply balms Chieko-sama it's not that complicated… was that all you needed?"

"No it wasn't, I came because Yukio-sama delivered very disturbing information to me last night… he has informed me you have taken a husband?"

'_Oh for kami sake, why is my love life the topic of these peoples' conversation?'_ "Yes my lady, I have taken a husband, Yukio-san was not as displaced as you seem to be though," Kagome slipped completely outside of the hut without opening the door too widely and stood out on the veranda with the unhappy priestess.

"With all respect to my master, he does not understand how a priestess' life is to be lived. Men may marry but women must be devoted solely to the kami. That is why we are given their pure aura that allow us to purify demon; if we give into the sins of the flesh we fall out of favor with our gods and we will lose to the demon. You are a very powerful priestess and I have heard stories of demons cowering in fear at your name, please tell me you have not given your body to this man… you cannot lose your power because of him."

"With all respect my lady, what my husband and I do inside of our hut is not your business," Kagome became offended by what the woman was accusing her of, she began to wonder if this was how Kikyo though her life would be like if she married while still being a priestess… and Kagome wasn't even one!

"When demons come and attack this village while my people are here and you cannot protect them it becomes my business. It appears you have already begun to lose your way, living in such an extravagant hut and wearing beautiful clothing that only a woman of nobility should wear… your merchant husband is ruining you. Ye should watch yourself Kagome, your sins will not go unpunished and if ye power become tainted we will not allow you to continue on."

Kagome was about to fire back on everything Chieko said, it wasn't her fault Inuyasha was a great builder and gave her a three room hut; she did slightly berate herself for dressing in one of the kimono he had bought for her, she wasn't expecting to see anyone other than Nobuo that day and she had wanted to be comfortable… and speaking her wolf visitor. Kagome's snide remarks died on her tongue when she heard the soft growl from directly behind the door, she paled when the sound grew louder and it was clear some type of canine species was present.

"What is that sound? Do you hear that growling Kagome" Chieko grabbed her bow and notched an arrow.

"What? Oh yeah it sounds like a wild dog… they roam the forest around the village, they're quite skittish though and never come into the village so it's nothing to worry about," Kagome prayed she wouldn't go looking in the woods for an animal that wasn't there, there was also the chance that she would stumble upon Koga and the other wolves and Kagome couldn't have that, she released a breath when Chieko put the arrow back in her quiver.

"Yes I suppose you're right, this forest… it is rumored a half demon is sealed to a tree deep inside yes, by the great Kikyo-sama?"

"It is a rumor yes… though I doubt it to be true."

"Yukio-san and I plan to go inside soon to see if we find it, we shall then slay it fully… we don't need the village to fear it breaking the seal now do we?" Chieko looked Kagome's way one more time, almost like she was checking the girl's reaction to her words, then she turned and headed back into the village.

'_How… how dare she blatantly threaten my mate that way!' _"Ugh, that woman! Just who does she think she is!"

"She's a bitch, a no good, rotten priestess and a murderer, and the next time I see her I'll gut her alive!" The deep voice from behind Kagome caused her to jump, she turned back to the door and was surprised to see Nobuo standing there, hatred blazed in his eyes.

"Nobuo-sama… what's wrong?"

"It's her, I knew she was familiar her scent… that bloody bitch!"

"No-Nobuo?"

"She did this to me… she put the seal on me when the humans attacked my pack."

Not wanting to continue this conversation outside since Nobuo was extremely loud and his growling was only getting louder, Kagome tried to usher the wolf back inside the hut. That plan didn't work though since he was already riled up from being inside all night, he was a wild wolf demon and use to being free in the woods; being in her hut for as long as he was was all he could stand.

Kagome saw the caged look in his eyes mixed in with his rage and so she decided that maybe a walk in the woods would calm him down; it would also guarantee that no more uninvited guests would show up at her hut unannounced again today.

* * *

Being back in the woods after a night indoors did relieve some of the tension in his body but Nobuo couldn't release the anger that came with hearing that woman's voice. After a few minutes of walking and Kagome was certain they were far enough away from her hut and the village, and his aura seemed to calm down enough that she felt safe to question him now.

"Nobuo-sama… do you remember the deal we made last night, if you survived the removal of the seal."

The wolf stopped at a thick tree a second later and thought over her words, he wanted to run… run away from what he would have to face if talking with her. But he was a man of his word and she did help him out and saved his life so he would answer her questions; wanting to stretch his legs a little Nobuo jumped up into a low branch of the tree, making himself comfortable for what he guessed would be a long while.

Kagome watched as the wolf sat perched in the tree and had to refrain from laughing at the sight, she thought Inuyasha was the only canine who liked to climb trees and she wondered if the demons she knew had some feline ancestor in their families at one point in time. When it seemed he wasn't going to be moving anytime soon she realized that he was waiting for her first question; Kagome would jump at the chance to fill in the blanks that was Nobuo's life. She found a soft spot in the grass where she would be comfortable and was able to see him, and yet where she was the sun reached her perfectly keeping her warm while they were in the dark forest.

"What do you want to know Kagome?"

"Well… how… how did you lose your arm? Was it when you got the seal?" She watched as the wolf's expression turned grim, he looked lost in thought and she didn't wish to disturb his thoughts; he seemed to want to get everything straight in his mind before speaking.

"In order to get to the answer you seek Kagome, I need to start at the beginning but first I must ask you one thing," Kagome straightened up giving him her full attention. "That priestess, she mentioned her people… did she come to your village with others like her?"

"Yes… I haven't met them all, just Chieko-sama, Yukio-san and Masanori-san."

"Keh, is that what he's calling himself now… model of justice my ass, he got them all killed!"

"Who… your pack?"

"Everyone… the whole damn village died because of he brought that priest into it."

'_Priest… village… wolf pack… he knows Masanori too, could he… he has to be!'_ "You are one of the wolves that attacked his village," Kagome had let her shock slip into her words and she didn't realize what she just accused the wolf of.

"I attacked his village! You think I would kill my own pack and slaughter countless people only to get myself sealed and suffer a slow, painful death!" Nobuo jumped out of the tree and approached Kagome's smaller form trying to scare her.

"What? No that's not what I think you did, I knew what Masanori said wasn't true and I am thankful that someone from the other side is here to tell their story. Yukio has been spreading rumors that all demons are evil and he's using Masanori's story as his platform; I'm afraid those in my village will begin to believe him and that will cause Inuyasha problems when he returns."

"Huh?" Nobuo's anger melted into confusion at Kagome's excitement, one minute she's accusing him of attacking his village and now she was practically jumping for joy that he survived and… had something to do with floor boards?"

"Can you tell me what happened in the village, what led to all this… who Emi was?"

"Where did you hear that name, who told you about her… it was that coward wasn't it?"

"No, no one told me… last night when I was removing the seal you called out her name."

Nobuo stepped away and went to the tree he was just in but instead of jumping up into the branches again he just sat on the ground and leaned against the trunk. "It started a few years ago, lord Inuyasha was still sealed in his prison and before you ask I knew of his imprisonment because my pack was allied with lord Sesshomaru during his battle with the panther demon tribe. It was because of him that my father didn't trust humans for a long time, unlike our northern cousins we didn't hunt humans for food… there's plenty of meat in the woods of the south to hunt that we never needed to interact with humans."

* * *

**For many years since my birth the pack never made human contact, we followed the ways of our ancestors and remained away from the few human settlements at the time. Of course when I was born most humans travelled like demons do no, so we had to avoid them at all cost, I guess because those humans were barbaric beasts is why we stayed away. But the few small villages that bordered our land were somewhat civil and respectful toward us, they left us food and prayed to us for protection from other demons; many demonic wars over territory were accruing at the time so there was always death whether it be human or demon. **

**For over a century this was how we lived, being a small wolf tribe in the deep southern lands we were fearful of being attacked all the time, my father assured that it would end soon. During the time we waited the human village closest to was destroyed by a tribe of tiger demons, I became angry that my father ignored their cries and that was the moment I realized he was a coward.**

**Most of my younger cub-hood was lost to me with how old I am now; however, I do remember the day the clan territorially disputes were over… Toga-sama came to my father and told him the war was over. Though he smelled of dog and it annoyed me, his blood soaked armor and pelt intrigued me, I got my first taste of blood lust. After he left my father had decided to move the pack farther northwest, I knew he pledged his alliance to the new lord of the west and though I felt he was practically laying belly up to the dog, I could overlook it because we were being looked after. Toga-sama sent a few men to our pack to show us how to protect ourselves better, my father… the stubborn old man that he was didn't want to have anything to do with the dogs; but I jumped at the chance to learn to fight. **

**The training was hard but I learned a lot, the soldiers saw potential in me and showed me everything they knew… I was so good that even Toga-sama heard of my progress. I was invited to the western palace as a guest of his lordship and met the then lady of the west and young prince Sesshomaru; I stayed for a few months and trained there and learned that my father had become a trusted advisor to the dog general. I learned that my father was rather smart with strategic things and during the first war with the panther demon tribe my father's wit helped greatly with planning counter attacks, he single handedly helped Toga-sama beat the panthers and our pack was forever allied with the western house; with the latest threat put to rest my father and I returned to our pack.**

**Centuries passed with peaceful times, we came in contact with our northern brothers during this time it was around that time that we received word that Toga-sama had begun to court a human princess. My father quickly sent off to the west to question the lord's actions and I was left to watch over the pack but my mind was on other things; I was at the beginning stages of adulthood and my instincts were telling me to mate soon. However most of my pack were males and the females that did live with us were already mated, I would need to travel to the northern mountains to find a female and bring her back south to mate with; at the time I just wasn't interested in all that trouble and luckily since I was a full demon I could suppress those instincts until later in my life.**

**My father returned a short time later have been unsuccessful in changing Toga-sama's mind about the human, I know what my old man feared would come of their relationship. Half breeds… they were the scum of the demon world, they were weaker than us full demons and were tainted with human blood. Toga-sama's interest in them wasn't the first demon to do so; there were half breeds born before lord Inuyasha but none of them survived. My father warned the western lord but he refused to give up his woman… and the night lord Inuyasha was born the great dog general was killed.**

**With his death and lord Sesshomaru taking over, my father decided it was time for us to move again, though with the humans building villages everywhere we never fully settled down; the old man was fearful one of our men would fall for a human and cause his downfall. We were constantly on the move until lord Sesshomaru called for our help once again with the return of the panther demons; after their defeat yet again and with father being in his old age we settled the pack down in the woods just outside of a village close to the border between the south and east. It was a tiny village that grew rapidly over the last fifty years and slowly, like the village from long ago, they began to leave food for us just at the perimeter of the forest; they began praying for our protection as well only this time I vowed not to ignore them like my father did before.**

**It wasn't until a few years ago that we slowly began to move among the villagers inside their home. My father became friends with the village headman, having saved the man's life during his youth; he welcomed us into his home with open arms. We were a little weary of them at first, from watching how humans feared demons and the stories we heard from our northern cousins we weren't letting our guards down with them. I remember my father's reaction to our hesitation around the humans, "Nobuo, the times have changed my son; with all the wars we demons like to have and the many we've lost on both ends the humans have begun to take over. This is not the world I was born into but we must accept it… we must fit in with the humans."**

"**Do you hear yourself father? A century ago you made us stay away from them and now you want us to live among them!" **

"**Nobuo use your head! I am doing what is best for the pack, we are small and will never survive out in the woods anymore, not without Toga-sama's protection anyway, not without our survival will depend on the humans."**

"**You're a fool old man, a fool! You are a coward for relying on weak humans for protection, are we not demons! You have always hid behind others your whole life, even the great western lord fell to humans and his son as well nearly fifty years ago… humans are not be trusted, I will prove we are not weak, I will bring us to glory!"**

**My father didn't respond to my words but his look of shame did affect me somewhat. I didn't realize at the time but my father was right, I was living in a time that no longer existed, my own clan's men have even accepted this new life among the humans; many of those that were around my age had begun taking the young, single females of the village as their mates. I couldn't believe they would soil our pure blood with the humans and create half breeds, I vowed to never lay with a human no matter the situation… it was about a year later when my thinking would change… when I met her… my Emi.**

**I first encountered her at the river just outside of the village, I had been bathing, cleaning off the blood of my latest kill, when she come out from a tree a little ways down river. I noticed her first because of my superior senses but decided not to leave the river and waited until she saw me; I was curious as to why she was alone out of the village when it wasn't safe. **

**I watched as she knelt at the water's edge and began to fill a jug she had with her, it was fairly large and would take some time to fill, and while she waited her eyes began to scan the area… something she should have done before clearly to wonder in the woods without observing her surroundings. Just as the jug stopped releasing air bubbles under the water signaling it was full, her eyes looked in my direction and locked with mine. A soft gasp left her lips and she jumped back from the river, which caused her to drop the pitcher that sank to the river's bottom. It must have hit some rock because I heard a soft thump a second after she dropped it but I didn't acknowledge it, her eyes were still on me and if she wasn't making a deal about it than I wouldn't.**

**Though I had been living in the village for over a full twelve moon cycle I had never seen her before; at the time she was like every other female to me and clearly didn't catch my attention so I broke eye contact with her and continued cleaning off… she wasn't a threat to me so I didn't care what she did. It was quiet but her heavy scent still remained meaning she hadn't left the bank yet.**

"**Oh shoot!" At her soft exclamation turned back around to see the girl kneeling back at the river's edge looking in; a second later she dipped her hand in the water, she was trying to reach the jug but couldn't without getting into the water. Her clothes weren't anywhere near elegant so if she was worried about getting them wet she really shouldn't have; of course it then dawned on me that it wasn't the clothes or water she feared… it was me.**

**Though her fear interested me a little, I merely wanted to see how much I could get away with before she screamed; I wasn't in the mood to deal with her trouble today. She reached in again and this time she must have grabbed a hold of the handle because she began to tug repeatedly but nothing seemed to come from her efforts; the pitcher was stuck in the soft dirt and the suction was keeping the jug under water… she was too weak to retch it free.**

**Her frustrated sighs and small splashes she was making plus her scent was annoying me, I wanted her to leave and quickly so I moved from downstream to where she was on the bank. She must have heard me approach, though I wasn't trying to be silent, because she looked up and our eyes met again; she screamed and fell back on the grass trying to get away.**

"**W-What do you want… I wasn't bothering you."**

**Though she sounded very fearful, if her stuttering was any indication, I was shocked she was actually questioning me. Yes she hadn't been bothering me physically but demons don't need a reason to attack and kill a human. Though I had no intention of hurting her, I was still at odds with my old man and if I did attack a human he would most likely exile me from the pack; no I wouldn't hurt her, get her away from me yes.**

**I shifted through the water until I was right in front of her, the closer I got to her I noticed she had averted her gaze and she a blush on her cheeks, not that I really cared… but what she was ashamed of I wasn't sure. She was a weak human I concluded and decided to ignore her, "Know this woman, a demon don't need a reason to kill someone like you… and just your scent annoys me." I plunged my hand into the water, grasped the jug and ripped it out of the mud and then dropped it at her feet.**

**Now that my interaction with her was finished I turned and headed back to where my furs lay, she was still staring from the other side of the river in shock and seeing as she didn't appear to be moving anytime soon I decided I had enough human contact for one day. I stepped out of the water and heard a scream from the human's direction, I had thought a demon had gotten to her and I'd be blamed if she died. I turned and was prepared to leap across the stream only I halted when there was nothing but the girl still sitting there.**

"**What the hell wench! Why did you scream if nothing was attacking you!"**

"**B-Because y-you… you."**

"**I what woman, speak up!"**

"**Because you got out of the water without any clothes on in front of me!" That was the loudest she's been since she got here and I noticed she was a lot redder in the face than before, plus she had her eyes closed tight… humans were quite weird.**

**Somehow my body offended her, though I don't understand how, my body was in top shape for a demon my age and I know I was more pleasing than the human males in village… several of the women have told me so before; and before you jump to any conclusion I was not interested in the females other than rutting. There were quite a few females in the village that took a liking to me over the time we were in the village and as long as I could tolerate them I wouldn't refuse their advances… I was a male after all and I could only repress my instincts for so long before they consumed me, but I have no interest in taking a mate which is what my father wished. But this girl was displeased with my body, it irritated me that she refused to look at me and it angered me more that I was so concerned of what a human thought of me.**

"**Feh, please like I would even touch you! You have a lot of growing up to do before any male would want you." I watched as her eyes shot open and locked with me again… her eyes however didn't remain on mine forever, as I caught them drifting down my body… apparently she wasn't as displeased as I thought. I smirked with that knowledge, no human female could resist me, and again turned away from her, I had enough fun for one day.**

* * *

**Note: I'm cutting it off there for a few reasons... one being if I didn't I don't know when the chapter would be put up, I start school again tomorrow and it's my hardest yet I need to focuse on this quarter in order to graduate in around Christmas so chapters will be really really slow in updating. Another reason being I'm going to expand on Nobuo and Emi's relationship (think of it like who they stressed Inuyasha and Kikyo's) so I'm going to be making another chapter to continue where this left off. The wolf and human will get closer and we'll find out who she is more and what happened to Nobuo's body and why he hates Chieko so much; all of that will be explaned in the conclusion of the 'Truth' series into the story.**

**This is a rough draft of the chapter, I didn't go through checking spelling mistakes because I'm tired and it's kind of long but when I get the chance to look over it I will so please don't review telling me how many errors there are... I already know there are some... thanks.**

**Emi=Beautiful blessing**

**Thanks to:  
**InuXKag0.0  
InuDemoness1525  
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**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up!**


	15. The real truth part 3

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

**Nobuo's memory**

* * *

**It was a few moons later that I saw her again, and once again she was outside of the village; I was lounging in the trees just out of the humans' stench when she approached the small burial grounds the humans had made for their dead. I watched as she stepped up to one stone and placed flowers down that she must have picked in the nearby field which meant she was outside of the village longer than I thought.**

"**Keh, didn't you learn your lesson last time you wondered outside the village wench?" I jumped down from the tree I was in and smirked seeing her flinch, today I was more in the mood of playing with her than scaring her; though I didn't want to admit it but our last meeting she intrigued me more than I first thought, I couldn't stop thinking about how she stood up to me… it took a lot of courage and I wanted to see what she would do this time.**

"**I am paying my respects to the dead and I was quite certain that I wouldn't bump into any naked demons while at our village's burial grounds."**

**I was a little shocked at the response I got, she didn't talk with such snap the last time we met, I guess while facing a demon without garbs on she's as frightened as a rabbit but any other time she's a real spit fire… she just got a little more interesting to me. "Feh, you'd be surprised what demons do in the woods… even a place like this isn't sacred to them," I folder my arms across my chest and leaned against a tree to watch her.**

**She was still knelt next to the marker but her head turned in my direction, "What do you mean by that? Demons have no respect for their dead?"**

"**Why respect the dead, what do they do for us? If a demon is killed it means they are weak… why would we praise and respect them?"**

"**Well… you praise them for the accomplishments they made while alive and respect them for the legacy they have left behind for you."**

"**Please… you humans are so sentimental."**

**She shot up and quickly approached me, "And just how are we sentimental… just because we honor our dead?"**

"**Because you cling to life, you honor rotting corpse because it makes you feel good about yourself; you know death is inevitable to your kind so you latch on to anything you can to survive and deep down you're secretly happy that you aren't the one that is dead. That is why you come here and pay your respects not because you wish to honor them… but because you feel guilty."**

"**You don't understand why I would do anything you jerk! You think you're so much better than everyone else; you walk around the village like you're better than us all when really you have no clue what we go through!" **

**I glared at the insult, it didn't really bother me the naming calling; however, she was stepping over the line. "I am the prince of the southern wolf tribe and will one day rule over these lands so you better respect me woman; I am so far above you humans that I have the right to walk with my head any way I wish around your pathetic village!"**

"**Pathetic… the only one I see as pathetic is you," she stood and turned her back to me, proceeding away from the grounds and back towards the village.**

**I was furious, how dare a weak human like her think me pathetic, she has gotten too personal and I think I was too nice to her; obviously when a male gives her a little leeway she takes it too far and leaves her mouth open a little too long. I pushed off of the tree and easily caught up to her, "You need to watch your mouth wench, I won't hesitate to kill you."**

"**If you were going to do that wouldn't you have already?"**

**I shot out and grabbed her upper arm tightly, teasing her skin with my claws, and turned her around to face me… I was tired of talking to the back of her head. "Don't think we're friends now human, I am a demon and just because my tribe doesn't feast on human flesh like our northern cousins doesn't mean we can't start," I growled deeply seeing the fear return to her eyes, but unlike our last meeting it didn't remain.**

"**Your empty threats don't scare me, I think you're only doing so because you want to push people away… it's pathetic really."**

"**There you go with that pathetic thing again… how am I pathetic?"**

**She placed her hand gently on my arm that was holding her; the second her soft skin touching my bicep I shivered and pulled the appendage away. "I've watched you for a long time… you never interact with the villagers like the other wolves do… it's kind of sad really."**

"**Keh, I don't need a human's pity… maybe I just don't wish to interact with the villagers because I know they are beneath me!" I didn't wait for her to speak again, she had no business talking to me like that anyway; I pushed away from her and dashed into the woods.**

* * *

**I refused to go into the village for weeks after that, the villagers might not have heard my conversation with her but I know my fellow clan's men did… I didn't need them thinking I was pathetic and if I heard one word, even just a snicker, I would gut them alive in the village center.**

**But that wench's words wouldn't leave my head the whole time I hid in the woods, they kept replaying in my mind and the look on her face caused me to see red… I rarely changed into my beast form but at her words I could feel the change coming over me.**

"**That damn bitch, just who does she think she is huh! The nerve… thinking I'm pathetic, feh just because I don't like to talk to weak humans didn't mean I was lonely or pathetic." I was sitting in a tree, not sulking mind you; I was sitting enjoying the warm afternoon sun when an ear piercing scream shattered the silence of the forest.**

"**Damn humans… my father has told them countless times that it isn't safe to be alone in these woods." At first I wasn't going to do anything, it would teach them a lesson if one of them was killed by a demon; but something was bothering me about that scream. For a second my body jerked after the scream was released, like I knew the person; it could have been one of the women I visited at night but I doubted I would react to them if it was. I tried to relax again in the tree but my body just wouldn't rest until I went to see what was happening.**

**I kind of wasn't surprised what I found by the river, the wench must have gone to the river to retrieve water again when a bear demon surprised her… hadn't I warned her about demons coming after her. I was however confused as to why I wanted to help her, the bear demon was on the attack but it could be taken down easily. She was at the river's edge and was going to have to jump in if she wished to survive; with no warning the bear charged, she screamed again and my body reacted on its own, before I knew what was going on I was standing in front of her and the bear was dead.**

"**You… you came."**

**The whimsical whisper behind me caught my lagging brain up to the happenings of the woods… I'd killed the bear and saved her, but why? I didn't want her to see my confusion so I quickly covered it with a frown before turning to her, "Keh, of course I came… I can't very well let you die before I tell you what I needed to."**

"**Oh… and what was that?" She moved away from the bank and approached my side eager to hear what I had to say; her brown eyes were open so wide in amazement, like I was practically a kami to her, that I could see the light reflecting off my armor in them.**

**Just her expression angered me, did she not remember what she said to me weeks ago! She was acting like we were good friends… which we weren't, and I would never forget what she did. "You… you don't remember?" When she shook her head to confirm my suspicious it made my blood boil, "Well then maybe I should have let that demon eat you, obviously you humans don't listen to a superior species like myself," if she didn't remember why I was mad I wasn't going to tell her.**

"**Hey are you going to just lecture me or actually tell me something I haven't heard from you yet… you're not my father," she folded her arms under her bust, which I hadn't really noticed until then… I bet she had an average set under the rags she wore.**

"**I know I'm not your sire wench… I would never breed with a human bitch."**

"**What! How dare you call my mother that!"**

"**What? I didn't call her anything; I was speaking of females in general."**

"**It doesn't matter who you speak of it's still a rude term."**

"**Feh, like I care what you humans think, you matter little to a being like myself; you're merely a small annoyance in my life." If I had hurt her feelings I couldn't tell, she hid her emotions very well.**

"**If you are annoyed so much by my presence then why do you keep appearing where I am? You are a demon and would be able to smell me far before I could see you… you have every opportunity to avoid me and yet you don't; you even saved me from the bear demon… if I annoyed you so then why didn't you let me die?"**

"**Oh yeah like that would have gone over well, you forget my tribe protects your village and if you die while I did nothing it would be on my head."**

**The girl picked up the jug she had brought to catch water, "Is that really the only reason you saved me?" She sounded disappointed for some reason which confused me.**

"**Of course it is not the only reason; I need to tell you something wench."**

"**What?"**

**I approached her suddenly causing a squeak to slip pass her lips and a blush spread across her cheeks. Her expression amused me, there was something about it that affected me but I just couldn't place it at the time; and it pleased me deeply to know that whatever she thought was going to happen wasn't what really was going to. "I saved you because I wanted you to know that… I'm not pathetic." With what I had to say said I turned and went back into the woods, "Maybe now without your screeching I can find some peace and quiet!"**

**I had every intention of finding that tree I was in earlier and maybe take a nap, I was so focused on that that I completely missed the look on her face at my words.**

* * *

**Our fourth meeting was no better than the third… well actually it wasn't a meeting, it was more of me being at the wrong place and the wrong time and it was indeed a shocking event. **

**It was late at night in the village and I was on patrol, I hated these nights because nothing ever happened and it was a boring night; this one would be slightly different.**

**I had been walking pass the huts randomly, they all looked the same in my opinion except the smells… each hut had a different scent to it and the ones that smelled of humans breeding I stayed away from. But at the moment I wasn't paying attention to that, though I probably should have because then I would have been more prepared when the girl I seemed to always be bumping into stomped out of one of the huts a few yards away.**

**She surprised me, I wasn't going to deny that, and I was about to yell at her but I realized that she didn't know I was there… something else had her attention. It was clear she was frustrated about something, and it wasn't like how we fought, I wasn't sure why but my instincts were telling me to stay put and watch what happened; they never mislead me before so I hid in the shadows of another hut to watch, once again I wasn't disappointed.**

"**Where do you think you are going Emi! You cannot leave this hut without my permission!" A young man came barreling out of the hut just as angry as the wench.**

"**You do not control my body Seiji! You cannot tell me I must stay here."**

"**I am your husband Emi, you are to honor me and by disobeying me you aren't doing such!" The man grabbed her arm and proceeded to drag her back inside; the minute his skin contacted with hers my body jerked just like it did when the demon tried to attack her. **

**It confused me again why I would react to such a thing or when the words 'husband' and 'wife' left their lips… I knew of human rituals and their marriages having witnessed a few while living here; I wasn't sure why this knowledge would affect me though.**

**Emi wretched her arm free from his grasp, "You are to honor me as well Seiji yet you keep me cooped up inside all day; I wish to be allowed to do as other wives do."**

**Seiji grabbed her wrist tighter this time not allowing her to escape again, "But you are not their wives, you are mine and will do as I tell you!" Emi fought against Seiji's hold over her but she wasn't strong enough to break his grip and was dragged back into the hut.**

**It was quiet again after they went inside, the night became just as boring as any other but as I laid on the roof of one of the another huts thinking about the argument I just couldn't get the information I obtained out of my head. "She is mated… why did she not tell me she had a mate? Keh, why am I even bothered by this… though he clearly didn't seem like a good one, why would she pick him?"**

**That particular question remained in my head for several days and it was just as annoying as the woman herself; it was like a flea demon biting at my skin and it wouldn't go away until I spoke to her about it. It puzzled me why she would pick that male as her mate, by all standards he wasn't a top choice; females typically chose the strongest male to breed with because they are certain to provide well for future offspring. The male she chose was neither strong nor a well provider judging by her small figure and poor clothing… so why him?**

**Again I was travelling around the village in search of the woman's hut; I was going to get to the bottom of this so I could go back to my normal life. I found her in a small garden near her hut; the air was clean of that Seiji human's scent so he wasn't around… the perfect time to question her.**

"**Hey woman!" I smirked when she jumped, "What are you doing?"**

"**Well what does it look like I'm doing? I'm cleaning the weeds from my garden so I can start planting seeds this spring."**

"**Vegetables? How can you humans live off those things, now demons we have the right idea, meat is all we need to survive," I casually leaned against the hut's wall easily able to see her and how frustrated she was quickly becoming.**

**She took her hands from the soil and leaned back to sit up straight; she then began wiping her hands on her wrapped skirt before she finally looked at me. "With all respect, I'm quite busy so is there reason you are here? Wait… why are you here, you never come into the village."**

"**Just because you haven't seen me in the village wench doesn't mean I haven't been before. And do I need to have a reason; my tribe protects this village so I can do as I please."**

"**Fine do as you please but I won't be able to speak with you… please excuse me," Emi stood and grabbed her basket of weeds then disappeared inside the hut. I heard some shuffling before she returned outside with a pitcher of water and what appeared to be seeds; she then went back to the garden and proceeded to plant them like she said she would. Her attitude was different than the last time we talked, I know she may have been a little upset for how I left last time… but that was days ago surely she was over it by now. **

**No, her mood wasn't my doing; it had to be that mate of hers… yes that was it. "So… Emi is your name huh?"**

"**How… how do you know my name, I don't believe I've ever told you it," she stopped planting and looked at me again.**

"**The other night, your mate referred to you by that name did he not, so I just assumed it was your name? Do you not want me to call you by that… do you prefer wench of woman then because I have no problem calling you that." I didn't miss when she tensed up again.**

"**Oh… you heard that huh?"**

"**Yeah these ears aren't just for framing my face wench… why didn't you mention that you were mated anyway?" I really wanted to know her thought process for as to why she chose such a weak mate.**

"**What's a mate?" I nearly fell on my ass hearing her question, how could she ask that, "What? How do you not know what a mate is when you have one? Oh what do you humans call them, you and your damn rituals… what do you call males and females that rut?"**

"**What! Surely you don't mean… do you mean a married couple?" Emi face flushed a deep shade of red.**

"**Yeah whatever… human marriage, why didn't you tell me you were mated?"**

"**I didn't know you required such information, why does it seem to bother you so much?"**

"**Don't think for a moment that I care one bit about how you humans live your lives, as a demon you choice confuses me and I want answers."**

"**Alright… what do you wish to know?" Emi sat back in her kneeling position and gave me her full attention again.**

"**Why did you pick such a weak mate? I saw him the other night and he is a pathetic excuse for a mate," while I was bad mouthing her mate I expected her to defend him in some manner, but the longer I talked I noticed she was folding into herself more and more.**

"**Um… yeah Seiji-san is… I don't know really."**

**I could smell a depression coming over her as she sat fiddling with her skirt, "What do you mean you don't know, he is your mate, both of you should understand each other immediately," a deep fire began to burn in my chest the more I thought about these two humans and I was becoming rather annoyed; my plan to get this out of my head was failing, I wasn't getting my answers and only gaining more questions.**

**Since I came to that conclusion I decided I had better things to do with my day and was about to leave the human to wallow in the dirt; when she suddenly stood up, grabbed my wrist, which I was shocked about that she dare touch me so I didn't put up a fight as she dragged me into her hut.**

**Once the midday sun and sounds of the village were blocked by the reed mate covering the arch of the door I snapped back to myself and began to growl, "How dare you touch me and dragged me in here wench, I don't want to smell the scent of your rutting!" I didn't get the same embarrassed expression I got last time at the mention of sex, at the moment she seemed devoid of emotion all together. **

**I remained close to the door but Emi moved over to the far side of the small hut and sat at a little table; she was extremely quiet which gave me the time to look around. Thankfully even though their bedding was only a few feet away from me there was no smell of mating in the room, so it was clear they weren't active recently… which I was happy about because I didn't want that stuck in my nose for the rest of the day.**

**The hut itself was like many others in the village, small and only one room; however, Emi's wasn't as nicely furnished as the few I've been in. There wasn't much food, or cloth to make clothing which would explain why her clothes always looked over used… it was clear to me this male wasn't caring for her very well.**

"**I'm sorry for touching you but what I wanted to talk about couldn't be done where other could hear… I didn't choose to marry Seiji-san."**

"**What do you mean? Did he force you to be his mate?" I bared my fangs at the thought of that weak male forcing himself upon her.**

"**It wasn't that he forced me… do you remember when I was at the burial grounds, I was visiting my parents. They were killed by famine and I've been alone for most of my life, the elders of the village were worried that since I had no dowry I would never marry; I had accepted that fate but Seiji-san stepped up and asked for my hand."**

"**He pitied you, he took you as his because he knew no one else would take you… so I'm missing why you seem so miserable… if I were you I'd be grateful." I couldn't believe how much of a spoiled brat she was being, I knew if a female wolf didn't find a mate that would have her she would surely die come that winter. There were even women in this very village that would do anything to gain a mate; I could only do so much to please them but what they wanted they would never have. **

"**You don't understand, Seiji-san pitied me yes but he doesn't treat me as he wife, outside of these walls I am his wife, but inside… I am a slave to him. He leaves during the day and returns at night, he doesn't allow me to leave the hut and if he catches me I will be punished," the tears in her eyes were making me uncomfortable.**

"**Punish how?" I've never seen a bruise on her body or smelled her blood so he can't be physically hurting her.**

"**He forces me to sleep outside, does not allow me to eat… sometimes he makes me go with him to a neighboring village, we always go a different way so I get confused. When he's angry he'll leave me there and expect me to find my way home by myself and I can't just stay there because they would force me to work in the men's tea room… sometimes it take me days to get back; I rely on him to survive and I'd be better off dead."**

"**Why… he is supposed to protect you?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing, this male enjoyed torturing her.**

"**He never wanted a wife… he's been training all his life to be a priest to the Buddha. When the elders asked for someone to marry me, he didn't want to step up but he felt forced by the kami; but he is still very devoted to priesthood. He has become far worse since your tribe moved into the village; lately he has been trying to find a way to rid us of you… if he knew I was talking to you right now I don't know what he would do to me."**

"**Feh, I'm not worried about him it doesn't seem to me like he had any type of spiritual power… and if I had anything to say about it he won't touch you either." I don't know where this anger came from but I wouldn't take them back when I saw the look on her face, I could see hope shimmering in those dark pools and it caused that fire in my gut to burn brighter… I would have to investigate this feeling in depth very soon, I didn't realize how my words would come back to haunt me a few moons later.**

* * *

**It was several months later and the dead of winter, and though we lived in the southern lands we still got very intense snow storms; now of course being a wolf demon it didn't bother me so much. As a demon my skin was far thicker than a humans and my pelts keep me warm while enduring the fierce weather; so finding me out hunting in a blizzard wouldn't be uncommon… a human would die in this situation.**

**I was on the trail of a wounded deer I had planned to bring back to the den, when I stumbled upon a human out in the middle of the woods. I was confused as to how this being got so far away from the village, I was possibly miles from any civilization… this human got lost and died out here.**

**I was going to just leave the creature there and continue on my way to find that deer but my body refused to obey my mind… there was something about this human; I quickly concluded that it was my time spent in the village that made me this soft for them, I cursed my aging father for having us interact with them as I knelt to see who this human had been.**

**The snow had piled up quickly over the body but that didn't tell me how long ago they had died because it had been snowing nonstop for three days now. Their skin was cold to the touch and the clothing was stiff on the body, scent was completely no use to me so I could only rely on my sight… and what was revealed to me after the snow was cleared twisted my stomach.**

"**Emi…" It was the little human that had captured my attention months ago; after the day we spoke of her mate we ended on better terms than how we were before, we would bump into each other around the village a few times but we never really got to talk like we had been. I also realized her mate was around her a lot more which made my skin crawl; though I really shouldn't call him her mate since she unknowingly admitted to me that he hadn't ever bedded her… apparently priests are supposed to take a vow of celibacy which basically means he's not rutting her. What kind of male would force a fertile female into a life where she could not provide cubs for them; if a lot of human males think that way their race won't last very much longer.**

**But now that I look at what happen to Emi mixed emotions coursed through me, I was angry… angry at the male for not protecting her and angry at myself but I couldn't figure out why. I was also feeling an emotion that could be close to sadness, it upset me that this beautiful creature was taking by the kami.**

"**Beautiful?" Where did that thought come from, Emi beautiful, I never thought of another to be beautiful not even the females I've bedded; and it bothered me that I've just come up with this now after it was too late. New feelings were bubbling up inside of me but I had to push them away to focus on other things, namely burying the body; I refused to just dig a hole right here in the snow and bury her where she probably died… she deserved better than how she was treated in life. I immediately thought of our second meeting at her family's memorial stone and that was where I was going to put her to rest and allow her soul to find her parents in the afterlife.**

**I had everything planned out in my head, and after I buried her I was going to the village and kill that weak male; he didn't deserve to live while Emi was dead and I didn't care at this point if my father exiled me from the pack for attacking a human… to me it was worth getting her justice. However my plans completely changed once I lifted her body from the snow, the wind had died down now and I could hear her heart barely beating.**

"**She's alive… how is that possible?" I didn't have time to figure out the answer to my own question, she was barely alive and if I didn't get her somewhere warm soon I would surely lose her. Just the thoughts I had a few minutes ago wasn't an opposition; I grabbed the heavier pelt I had covering my body and wrapped it around her tightly, it would keep her warm for only a short time but that was all I needed to get back to the den; I think that was the fastest I've ever run back to my home in the woods.**

**Though my father moved us into the village for most of the seasons, during the winter we returned to our den in the forest, it was for protection of our clan that we did this and to keep the young cubs safe. Being that we were around humans all the time now some of the males of my pack began taking the females of the village as their mates, the elders in the town had no problem with the unions because then the wolves would stay in the village all the time and make sure their mates were protected, and if the women were willing to mate with wolves no one really cared. Most men with human females built huts and remind in the village but everyone else was back at the den.**

**It began to snow harder if that was possible by the time I reached the den; Emi was still hanging on by a hair so I needed to get her inside quickly and near a fire.**

"**Hey Nobuo, did you get any dinner?"**

"**What's that you got under your pelt… is it eatable?" Two lower ranking males approached me and began to sniff at the unconscious Emi in my arms. I quickly growled and snapped my fangs to get them to back off; I didn't want them near her at all. Being their alpha they had no choice but to obey me; they bowed their heads and scurried back into the den.**

**Finally free of them I was able to move into the cave and to my nesting area. The cave itself was one massive oval on the inside with a grand fire in the center to provide warmth to all those present. My nesting was fairly large and contained many pelts from different animals I've hunted, I placed Emi among the furs and wrapped her up in a few more to warm her up faster; just from being inside and away from the bitter chill from outside I could already see the pinkish taint return to her cheeks.**

"**You confuse me my son, you say you dislike humans because they are weak and yet here you are with a female caring for her."**

**I was so focused on Emi that I didn't hear my father approach, "I thought you of all people would be happy that I am protecting the human village. This human is a friend and I'm merely looking out for her because her mate is a cowardly bastard."**

**Father sat on the pile of pelts next to mine and observed the scene, "She has a mate? You know the laws Nobuo; you should not interfere with this situation."**

"**You don't understand father, this male does nothing for her, he doesn't even want her nor has he properly mated her… he is reason she is this way now I know it, he left her to die in this storm."**

"**You're very protective of this female my son."**

"**Yeah so what if I am? She is the only human I can tolerate and I refuse to let her die out there."**

* * *

**Despite the condition she was in when I found her, Emi survived and a few days later she was sitting up and talking with the members of my pack. The cubs loved talking to her and she would entertain them while their parents were out hunting. And during the time she was healing dare I say I have allowed her to know a little more about myself.**

"**Nobuo-sama… when do you think the snow will stop?"**

"**I don't know, when it feels like it or when it's spring, why do you ask questions that cannot be answered… are you so eager to return to the village?" I was sitting by the fire roasting up a piece of deer meat for her, since she was human and unable to eat it raw while Emi watched sitting at my side with a fur wrapped around her body to keep the chill away.**

"**No not really… I was just watching because then Seiji-san would come looking for me."**

**I tensed at her side and bit back my growing anger, "Why do you care if he comes around, he left you to die out there and you want to go back to him?"**

"**No… actually I, I don't want him to come after me; I'd rather he didn't bother… I'd like to stay here if that w-would be okay with you?"**

"**Feh… whatever," I kept telling myself the red tint to my face was because I was too close to the fire not because of what she said; ever since she got better my body has been acting strangely around her. I brushed those thoughts off and plucked the meat off the stick by the fire and handed it to her… was it just me or was there a pink blush to her cheeks too.**

**Once she took the meat I shot up and dashed out of the cave to get some fresh air; however, when I got out there I wasn't alone… two older females were a few yards away from the mouth of the cave cleaning rabbit hides.**

"**What do they see in them? Mating with humans, it's disgusting and our leader allows them too."**

"**In my era males from all four tribes would travel to the north to court a female… these young males are just lazy."**

"**I agree, this pack is getting smaller and smaller every spring, and to have half demon cubs it is a disgrace, if my boys even think about laying with a human I shall kill them myself, no human blood will taint my line."**

"**It is becoming quite a problem, even the prince has been spending his time with a human, he of all demons I would have thought would never bed a human."**

"**They are very tricky creatures and we most watch them closely or they just might charm our own mates away from us."**

"**Just let them try; I shall kill any wench that even looks at my mate!"**

**I rolled my eyes at their annoying chatter, the humans had no interest in our clan unless a male began pursuing a female; but not all of their words were easy to ignore. Was I falling for Emi, yes I had admitted to my father she was tolerable and a friend but… did I care for her more than that? My mind was racing with all the confusing thoughts I had that I didn't notice I had reentered the cave and was now standing in front of my nest until Emi called my name.**

"**Nobuo-sama, are you alright?" I looked up to acknowledge her and I fell into her trap maybe those females had been right about humans; Emi was sitting up in the bedding turned slightly to me, a fur covering her body and if my eyes weren't playing tricks on me that was the only thing covering her. She had this magical glow about her which I knew was a trick of light from the fire but I didn't care, I don't know when I had fallen to my knees but Emi had jumped up and crawled to my side.**

"**My lord are you alright, Nobuo-sama what is wrong please tell me."**

**But I couldn't tell her because I didn't know myself, my blood was boiling in my veins and that burning in my stomach had started again. When had her eyes started to sparkle with their own inner light, when had her once pale blue lips become so plump and red… when had she become so enticing to me?**

"**Nobuo-sama?" Her hands found their way into my hair and began rubbing my scalp causing every tense muscle in my body to relax. My mind was scrambled and my nose was only filled with her scent… my guard was completely down. Something soft brushed against my mouth and my instincts took over as I pushed my lips against that softness.**

**I opened my eyes, confused as to when I even closed them, and was shocked when I realized that Emi was so close and her lips were pressed against mine. Quickly I pushed her back into the nest and jumped away, "Wh-What was that! What were you doing just now!"**

"**I… I'm sorry Nobuo-sama… I didn't mean to be so bold, please forgive me. It's just that… I've never kissed a man before, not even my own husband, and I just wanted to see what it felt like," Emi sat up from where she fell upon the furs and gently touched her slightly swollen lips with her fingers; a pink blush to her cheeks told me she was nowhere near sorry for assaulting me.**

**I ignored my more beastly side that stated it liked what she did, no I couldn't fall for her trap, "Yes I will forgive you this time woman; however, do not do something like that again without my permission understand?"**

"**Yes Nobuo-sama."**

* * *

**I believe our relationship changed after that, Emi didn't want to return to the village and since it was the winter months I didn't push her into leaving. But since she remand she became my responsibility and therefore we spent a lot of time together; during that time I found out that she liked rabbit meat better than deer and she slept better while I was in the nest with her rather than sleeping on the second bedding that was provided for her. I didn't use my nest that often so it didn't bother me that she laid there every night.**

**She also learned some of my own secrets, like how I hated my tail petted, some of the females I've been with in the village thought the appendage was adorable; they loved stroking it even when I growled at them to stop. They thought of me as a domesticated dog, that I was their pet, but I wasn't to be controlled; I was a wild animal and the female I would settle with would except my nature and leave me be.**

**Emi made sure to stay away from my tail but the second she found out about my ears she hasn't left them alone; my ears are the second most sensitive spot on my body and she loved to graze them with her dull human nails, it caused me to shiver in arousal and I would be snappy with her for a few hours afterwards.**

**Though it wasn't a bad thing, ever since she kissed me I have not been able to stop thinking about it… her lips were so soft and her scent had been driving me mad. Even after I told her I didn't approve of her rash actions I couldn't help by hope that she would do it again. But she didn't, she respected my initial wishes which drove me into seeking her out… our relationship flourished from there.**

"**You have begun to court the human my son?"**

**Father had summoned me one late winter day while the females were bathing at the spring; since she has been living with us and under my care some of the females have decided to take her under their care as well… she was being welcomed into the pack. Currently the women were at the spring bathing the cubs and they invited Emi to join them leaving me alone with my old man to question me. **

"**Why do you think I am courting her?"**

"**You feed her, protect her… I have bared witness to the human ritual you have shared with her, even if you deny it now deep inside you have already begun a courtship with the girl."**

"**So what if I am, why do you question it then, she intrigues me and so I wish to know more about her."**

"**I do not question who you chose as a mate my son, I am quite relieved you have finally decided to breed; however, the female you have chosen already has a mate… this will be quite difficult."**

"**She has a mate that doesn't want her, he is training to become a priest and therefore didn't want a mate to being with… he left her out in a winter storm to die. I found her and saved her life which means he has no claim to her any longer; she is also free of a mate mark and is still pure… I may take her as my mate."**

"**I am pleased with you my son, but I must warn you… keeping the girl with you will be quite the fight; human males have rather large egos and even if he wasn't interested in breeding with her, the male will not give her up without a fight. I am certain this will involve both the village and the tribe as well."**

**My father's words did not scare me because they made no sense, why would the village be involved in this matter, and the human didn't want Emi so why would he fight me? I forgot however how selfish humans were and how they can become possessive over items they once discarded just because another male became interested in it.**

**I ignored my father's warning and that spring I took Emi as my mate. And before you ask no I did not force her, unlike you might think demons of higher intelligence like wolves don't need to rape human women for pleasure. We normally stay with our own species but when a human does gain our attention we still follow our mating laws. I courted Emi the rest of the winter and when the snow began to melt and the other wolves returned to the village I asked her what she would chose to do. **

"**The den will be empty except for the rare times a couple will come to birth cubs in late spring, I'll be in the forest so you can decide if you want to go back to the village or not," I was crouched in front of my nest inspecting the furs, the top two layers were too damp to salvage and would dry rot come the summer; I put them up and tossed them into the fire.**

**I tensed when I felt someone tug on the fur pelt around my waist; I turned to see Emi with her head bowed directly behind me. "Yes?"**

"**Well… I-I thought… I thought I could stay with you? I don't want to go back to the village. If Seiji sees me I'm afraid he'll… he'll kill me." **

**I rolled my eyes and turned in her direction pulling her toward my chest, "Baka woman, I told you I wouldn't let him touch you and I meant it. If you wish to go back to the village you will still have my protection." I expected her to simply agree with me, but I was completely shocked when she buried deeper into my embrace.**

"**No! I don't want to go back the village… I won't be able to escape him if I do… please let me stay with you… please."**

**I wasn't sure how to answer her plea, if a male and female remained together after the winter that would end the courtship and the next step was to mate, but was she ready for that? I know that humans court for a lot longer than demons do before mating and I didn't wish to scare her away by bringing up the idea; but then I thought to myself what the hell, why was I afraid of what a human female would say… so I asked her.**

"**Keh, I don't care what you do… but if you stay with me I won't be building you a hut in the village because I won't live there; you'd have to stay in the den."**

"**That's fine… as long as I'm with you."**

"**And… it would be better if you were… were mated before the end of spring," my face flamed when her eyes locked with mine, confusion written all over her face.**

"**But Nobuo-sama… I thought you said I was already mated to Seiji? How could I mate with two men?"**

"**Let's get one thing straight you aren't mated to the human, mating involves rutting which you have not done with him… so your human marriage can easily be broken if you have an actual mate. If you remain in the den come the end of spring you will go into heat and attract all sorts of brainless demons to your scent… and they won't ask permission to touch you."**

**Emi stiffened in my arms and I buried my nose into her hair to try and calm her. "How… how do I protect myself then Nobuo-sama, I am not strong enough to fight a demon."**

"**I will protect you… if you wish to be my mate."**

"… **Nobuo-sama."**

**I searched her gaze for any refusal and when I saw none I leaned forward and captured her lips in a kiss much like our first; that night alone in the den I severed her marriage with the human and took her as my mate… and ultimately sealed our fate for death.**

* * *

**Instead of abandoning the den like I did every spring to live in the forest I remained this time for shelter for my new mate; Emi adjusted just fine and those wolves that stayed around the den accepted her new position in the pack without complaint. For as long as I've known her I don't think I've ever seen her as happy as she was after we mated. **

**I made sure she wanted for nothing, as the heir of our tribe I treated her like the princess she deserved to be; I made certain she had enough to eat and warm furs for the colder days… she even took it upon herself to care for my aging father like a real she-wolf would do.**

**Our life was nearly perfect and come the end of spring when Emi went into her first heat as mates we started to work on extending the family. We were at peace until that summer when a dark cloud came over our happy life… when the human came upon us.**

**I had a bad feeling about the day when I woke up, my instincts were screaming that we stay in the den but Emi wanted to bath; why humans feel they should be clean nearly every day is a mystery to me because she smelled fine. But despite what my instincts said I humored her and allowed her to go to the spring to wash up; of course I accompanied her for her protection… there was no chance I would allow her there alone not with what happened with that bear demon last harvest.**

"**Oh Nobuo-kun the water is so warm, how did you find this spring?" Emi was shoulders deep in the hot spring I found for her, enjoying herself while I sat against a nearby rock watching for predators.**

"**Keh, did you forget woman… my nose can smell anything, finding this spring was easy; but it's rather far away from your village so it wouldn't be the best idea to try and come out here alone."**

"**This is so much better than the cold river water; I feel like a princess with this luxury… you should join me Nobuo-kun."**

"**Don't tempt me mate, I need to watch for other demons and cannot be distracted by your scent." Thought I knew she was already distracting me, her laughter and playfulness drew my attention away from the area and in doing so I missed when he entered the spring's clearing.**

"**I-Impossible… Emi?"**

"… **Seiji-san!"**

**Smelling my mate's fear and hearing who was talking to her, not to mention another male was seeing my mate naked, caused rage to course through my body and I sprung up from behind the rock I was sitting near; I stepped in between Emi and the male. I could feel my eyes bleeding red and in a minute I would slip into my animal form… no male would step near my mate without me taking a chunk out of their leg first.**

"**Seiji-san… w-what are you doing so far away from the village?"**

"**Emi don't talk to him! Leave now human, you aren't welcome here!"**

"**Emi… how… how are you alive?"**

**It angered me more when it seemed that he was going to ignore my warning, "What… you mean after you left her to die in that snow storm?"**

"**I did no such thing, we were in the neighboring village and returning home when the storm started… we got separated and I thought she continued on to the village; I was devastated when I got home and she wasn't there… I thought you had died Emi, I am so happy to see that you survived.**

"**I highly doubt that… you left her out there to die human! Emi, dress and wait for me in the next grove of trees… go now!" I didn't turn to make sure she left but I smirked when I heard soft splashing and then the rustle of cloth, I stepped in front of the man to block his view of my mate; my gaze didn't leave his until Emi was out of ear shot.**

"**I suggest you leave human, you're very far away from your village."**

"**I am not worried about where I am… I wish to t-thank you demon… for saving my wife. I am all she has and-." **

"**I am what she has, she is mine to protect now."**

"**Excuse me? Demon you know she is my wife, and I may do with her what I wish… if I wish for her to find her way back to the village then that is my choice… it would be better if you mind your own business."**

**I stepped closer to the human, standing at my full height I was at least a head taller than him, a smirk came to my lips when my sharp eyes caught his flinch at my close presence. "Emi is my business… she is my mate and you have no hold over her anymore, and if I catch you near her again I will kill you and leave your body for the lowest demons to feast off of."**

**I could smell the fear I put into him but some sort of acknowledgement came across his face and then he became enraged, I stepped back and guarded myself for any on coming attack he may try against me.**

"**It was you… you were the one she was seeing when she would disappear; you were the one that turned her against me, made her defy me… demon. You're all the same you should all be killed, no one but I have seen it! Your clan has been planning it since you invaded our village."**

"**Planned what human, has the sun gone to your head?" Emi was right, this human was insane and he carried a deep seeded hatred towards all demons.**

"**And you! You stole her from me, what have you done to her… your clan has been stealing our women for years and forcing them to have your disgusting little half breed spawns, you have raped Emi… you have raped my wife!"**

"**Watch your tongue human! Any demon that forces a female to mate does not deserve to breath, I have taken all steps required of my clans courting laws, I have asked her permission and Emi accepted my claim… she is rightfully my mate." I explained to the human that he has no claim to her anymore but he refused to listen… he was crazed like a rouge demon.**

"**You will pay… you and your clan will pay for kidnapping my wife and I will personally see to it that every single wolf demon is purified from these lands." **

**The human's threats didn't scare me, his spiritual power was very weak if he had any at all and I knew he would not be able to hurt me. If he brought the headman and other villagers into this I would have to defend my claim on Emi but that didn't bother me; however, I knew my father would need to get involved and I really didn't want to hear him scold me over this.**

"**Nobuo-kun… he won't stop, he knows I'm alive now and he will do everything in his power to get me back."**

**It annoyed me that she didn't have a lot of faith in me protecting her, to comfort her I pulled her into my arms as we walked back to the den, "If it comes down to it I will stop him."**

**A few days later I was summoned to the village by my father; the male held up with his threat of speaking with the headman and now we were in council to decided Emi's fate.**

"**Seiji has brought to my attention that his wife has been in your care since the winter, he has also told me that you have forced yourself upon her; I take those things very seriously since ye are allowed to be in our village… but kidnapping women is not acceptable."**

"**With respect headman, I have done nothing the male claims, yes Emi was his human wife; however, she is now my mate. You may ask her yourself if you wish but I have never forced her to my bed." When I mentioned Emi was my mate the elderly human's eye lit up, and of course they would, he knew how serious demonic mating was; the previous winter his very own daughter fell in love with one of my clan and they mated… and if I'm not mistaken she has just given birth a few moons ago so he was the grandfather of a half demon boy.**

"**If you have taken her into your clan then that must mean Seiji must not have been caring for her properly." I then proceed to explain about this past winter and how I found her near death.**

"**As you can see, my son is very devoted to the human girl and would do anything for her," my father defended my actions, now that Emi was mine she was also his daughter and he would protect her with his life.**

**The leader of the village nodded his head in agreement but just to clear everything up and make his final judgment equally he called Emi to give her side. I was not allowed to be present during the time and that ruffled my fur; I didn't want him to convince her to go back to her former human husband.**

"**Calm yourself cub; causing a divot in the earth won't sway his mind in your favor… what he decides will be in the best interest of all."**

"**That's easy for you to say father, this doesn't involve your mate," my temper was shot with my worry so I was quick to snap at everyone. But I was right, my old man had no idea what I was going through because he never had a mate; yes he breed with my mother and she had me, much like Lord Sesshomaru's lady mother, but he didn't make her his mate so after I was born she left back up to the north. Father had gotten his heir so there was no need to search for another mate… he has no idea how easy his life is; I've only had my mate for a few weeks and I may lose her.**

"**Nobuo-kun." Emi's sweet voice drew me from my thoughts and towards where she was standing.**

"**Well… what did he say?" My heart was racing with every second that she remained quiet; but then all my tension left my body when I saw the beautiful smile on her face.**

"**He said I didn't need to stay with Seiji… I can live with you."**

"**Keh of course you are staying with me what ever gave you the idea that I would release you to that weak human again?" I smirked and drew her into my arms having no intention of letting her out.**

* * *

**The seasons passed quickly and spring quickly gave way to the warmer weather; more food was available so I could easily hut for the two of us and Emi travelled into the village to trade our extra meat and furs for supplies she needed. I allowed her to travel alone because I got word from my clan's man that lived in the village that Seiji had gotten into a fight with the village headman and was thrown out of the town. I immediately scouted the surrounding forest for any signs of him but after days of searching and his scent nowhere in sight I concluded he must have run away to one of the other villages he frequented; I allowed Emi to move about more freely within the woods and she seemed a lot happier. We were all happier and at that moment in time I thought nothing could happen to us… but I was wrong.**

**For nearly a year the land was at peace despite what was going on around us; I had gotten word from another wolf demon that appeared to be travelling that the late dog general's young half demon son had been released from his imprisonment. I was shocked that the pup was awake and following a human girl no less. The wolf, who went by Koga, began to prattle off about the girl which I had no interest in; but he did speak of a sacred jewel and how it was broken into tiny shards and even showed me how fast he had become because of them.**

**Being as old as I was I could see passed the temptation of the gems and could see what they truly were; they would pull the darkness out of the purest being's heart and I knew they would cause many deaths… I couldn't have that in the village so I warned both my clan and the humans to stay away from the shards.**

**Along with this powerful jewel's appearance more demons began coming out of hiding both looking for shards and seeking a more protected shelter from a powerful demon that was moving about the country. With so much going on I couldn't leave the village defenseless but I also refused to leave Emi alone in the den all day; I didn't want to but had no choice but to move my mate back into the village.**

**Many were pleased with this change; over the year we were together Emi had become friends with a few of the women that my men took as mates; most of them lived in the village permanently and so if Emi wished to spend the day with them I would have to bring her in, now she could come and go as she pleased. My father was another that was happy we moved; he was far older than when we first settled into this village nearly fifty years ago, he was up near nine hundred already, it was hard from him to travel even the smallest distances. The headman of the village offered the old man the extra room in his hut as a 'thanks for protecting the village for so long'; and with merely a few yards away in a hut I built for us he wouldn't have to worry about not seeing any of our future cubs.**

**My heart sake at the thought of little ones; this past summer we were overjoyed to find Emi cubbed, but sadly the cub was lost by winter. Emi blamed herself but thankfully the other women explained to her that since the cub was half of each world there maybe problems… Emi didn't feel better until a few of them told their own stories of lose; we didn't tell father of the cub in fear that hearing of its death would kill the old man. We still have not tried again for a cub and I will not push my mate into giving me one until she is ready. Which wouldn't be for a while longer since we were both extremely busy; Emi took it upon herself to care for my aging father and I was never in the village… when did all this responsibility fall on me?**

**Luckily our village was spared from both the jewel's temptation and the evil half breed I found to be known as Naraku; the dog general's son apparently took him out a few months after Koga came to warn me. I was also shocked to hear that the young half breed not only took his female travel companion as his mate but now he was also a full demon; I received word that Sesshomaru has also claimed him as his heir to the west… I made a mental note to travel up north soon to meet the boy… but that wouldn't be.**

**That winter we had a bountiful harvest that the humans thought was their doing that the kami were pleased at them for not falling to the jewel like so many other villages had. "Feh, they do realize I'm the one that worked my ass off to keep the jewel out of the village right… they didn't do anything but lay on their as-."**

"**I'm sure they know what you have done for them Nobuo-kun and I am certain they are extremely grateful," Emi giggled as she ran her hands through my hair and traced the outer shell of my left ear.**

**It was a few weeks after the harvest and the first snow of winter was heavy on the wind; my mate and I were wrapped up in our bedding, a fire blazing in the pit to keep our flesh warm.**

"**Grateful would be at least a little acknowledgement instead of them just brushing me off like I'm a common dog!"**

"**Do I sense a bit of jealousy from my demon love? I for one am quite pleased that no other woman is looking at you… I wouldn't like the competition."**

"**You have nothing to worry about mate because I only have eyes for you," I breathed in deeply her scent from my position with my head in her lap; her scent always calmed me and I have yet to tire of it in the nearly two years we've been mated. While sorting out the different layers of her scent in my mind I frowned as I came upon a delicate fragrance I've never smelled before; it was soft like Emi's scent yet there was an earth quality to it… like mine.**

"**Nobuo-kun… are you okay you go quiet all of a sudden, is something wrong?" Emi gasped when I shot up from my laying position and turned to face her. "Nobuo-kun?"**

**I was certain my actions were scaring her at this point but I needed her full attention; and for her to be completely honest with me for my question. "Emi, your scent has changed to that of a breeding female, and you are rather far along… are you cubbed?"**

**A smile graced her beautiful face as she took my hand that was fisted in the bedding and brought it to her stomach. "With what happened the last time I was fearful and I didn't wish to tell you if it wasn't meant to be; however, the day before last marks three lunar cycles… I have great hopes this time. Yes Nobuo-kun I am with child." Her words caused my heart to soar, I couldn't believe she was able to keep it this long from me; I couldn't believe we were to have a cub. I was so excited about the news that I could say I let my guard down when I shouldn't; because when you think nothing can get to you something always does and it's far worse than you can image.**

**I had grown so busy tending to Emi and her needs for the cub over the next few moons that I didn't focus on what was happening around the village before it was too late. It was around late spring, a few of the new mothers were caring for the newest cubs to our pack, when I first smelled him; for nearly a full two years had passed since Emi's ex-husband left the village but now he has returned because I smelled his scent lingering in the forest. I couldn't pinpoint exactly where he was since the scent would change every other day so I assumed he was just wondering aimlessly through the forest; I brushed it off as nothing to worry about… which I now know to have been the biggest mistake of my life. The male was lurking in the woods but I was unaware that he had others with him; apparently he had come across a group of travelers that also hated demons.**

**It was a quiet morning during the peak of the warm season when it happened; I had been lying in bed awake since Emi was having trouble recently sleeping with the cub due at any moment. I had just gotten her settled and now I was enjoying the calming peace of dawn that normally graced the land at this time of day; however, the smell of smoke was not something that occurred this early since all the humans were never up this early.**

"**Nobuo-sama! Nobuo-sama!" One of my men's frantic calls drew me up from our comfortable bedding; he was rather loud and I didn't want him to wake my mate since she had just fallen asleep. I opened the flap to my hut to order the male to quiet down by my command was lost in my throat as my eyes bore witness to why he had called me… the village was burning.**

* * *

"Kagome! Lady Kagome!" The peace of the forest, except for the wolf demon telling his story, was shattered by the panicked screams of Sesshomaru's young ward. Nobuo immediately stopped talking and pulled himself closer to the base of the tree he had been perched in for hours now; the shadows from the branches hid him from the view of the child when she ran up to Kagome's side.

"Rin-chan what is it, what's wrong?" Kagome had been so focused on the wolf's story that she didn't even realize her name was called until Rin was practically as her side; seeing the look of terror across the child's face immediately alerted Kagome to possible danger.

"It's Sango-sama! Miroku-san brought her to Lady Keade's hut because she was in pain. Lady Keade said the babies are to be born and she needs your help come on, come on!" Rin couldn't wait for Kagome to understand her rambling she was needed now; the child grabbed the older girl's hand and began pulling her to her feet guiding her back to the village.

Hearing her friend had gone into labor and she was in pain drew all of Kagome attention; she stood and followed Rin back to the village. _'Hold on Sango, please just hold on!'_

* * *

**Note: Okay I think I made you all suffer long enough, but I think I made up for it with how long this chapter is. As I stated in the last chapter I had to focus the last two months on my school work and I am happy to say that it has paid off and I will be graduating in December of this year yay! I would like thank everyone that has stuck with me on this one here and didn't harrass me to get this chapter up. I'm sorry I cut Nobuo's story off about what happened but it will be brought back up soon, now we must focus on Sango having the babies, I know a lot of you were wondering when that would be.**

**Incase everyone is completely confused with Nobuo's whole story since it went through two chapters I will sum it up for you. Everything from the last chapter is him going over his whole life up till three years ago. This chapter here is the last three years of his life, so a year before Kagome met Inuyasha, their whole journey together and than the year that 'seeking the future' has taken place in because remember Nobuo is the only suriving member of the southern wolf tribe that Sesshomaru talked about like... 5 chapters ago, yes I know a while ago. The last part of the Nobuo's story will be what happened to the village so basically from late spring up till fall of this year right now; slightly confusing I'm sorry but if you read it really slow it should make sense.**

**Thanks to:  
**Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
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**For reviewing... lov'em keep it up!**


	16. A baby's birth

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"talking" _'thinking'_ … all that good stuff

* * *

When the girls arrived at Keade's hut it was utter chaos not only were the expecting couple there but apparently someone informed Yukio and his group and they decided they wanted to help. Of course Yukio's kind of help was more trouble than actual help since he seemed to enjoy worrying and making others feel ashamed while in his presence… which it seemed that is what he was doing to Miroku at the moment.

"I would advise you to go to the shrine Miroku-san and pray to the kami that at least one survives; you do understand the gods are not pleased that you have forsaking them for the flesh and now your beloved wife is to suffer their wrath?" Yukio and several of the men from his group were surrounding the father-to-be and basically trying to scare him into going to pray at the shrine.

"With all respect Yukio-san but I was a Buddhist monk, so your gods mean nothing to me," Miroku spat at the men, this whole situation upset him; he loved his wife and never would want to see her in such pain to give him a child. When Sango began screaming in pain an hour ago while they were in their hut he panicked and feared the worst; he brought her immediately to Keade's hut in hopes that she could help in some way. His stomach twisted and he went completely pale when he was told that his children would be born on this day.

Now he sat outside of the hut, since it was forbidden for men to be in a birthing room, having to listen to a bunch of men he barely knew tell him he should pray for a safe delivery of an easy death for his wife and children. It was at that moment that Miroku really wished that Inuyasha was there; the demon would have become irritated with these men hovering around them and he would have scared them off. But then he remembered why it was a good thing the dog wasn't there; if Kagome got hurt in any way because of his presence Sango would never forgive herself.

'_Sango… my beautiful Sango, I pray to any kami that will listen that they spare you and our precious daughters; please my dearest… please hold on because if you were to leave me I would have no will to continue on.'_

"And that very blasphemous attitude may very well be one of the reasons you're in this situation now Miroku-san. One who is chosen by the kami, even if a _different_ kami; must remain faithful throughout their entire lives to achieve enlightenment and break their reincarnation cycle."

"Yes that is true for some; however, there have been some that follow the Buddha and later in life realize that their place is not with the kami," Miroku was really trying to be nice because these were holy men; but now was not the time and his patience were very thin right now.

'_Poor Miroku, he doesn't need this,'_ Kagome was about to approach the group of men and shoo them away from her friend… until Masanori popped into her line of sight practically scared her half to death.

"Kagome-sama, my master has informed me that Sango-san is ready to give birth; however, he fears it will not be a happy occasion for all."

Kagome clenched her hand into a tight fist to stop herself from slapping the man in front of her; the pitiful look he was giving her made her feel like was no hope for Sango at all and that was not how she wanted to feel right now. "Masanori, please not is not the time, I must go and help lady Keade with the birthing."

"Oh there is no need for that; we could not locate you so Chieko-sama has kindly offered to assist with the birth."

The bright smile that came to his face made Kagome pale. "What?" Her stomach was in her throat hearing that news; Chieko's views were the same as Yukio's and the young woman knew the older wouldn't be much help to Keade other than lecturing Sango and wanting her to pray to the kami… which wouldn't be very productive to the laboring mother-to-be. _'I've got to get in there before something truly bad happens.'_

By the time Kagome was able to get away from Masanori a crowd had formed around Miroku and Yukio; both Yukio's men and men from the village were around the two men when she got over to them. She could see both the stress and anger etched on her friend's face and grabbed on to his arm preventing him from raising it to strike Yukio and also trying to soothe him.

"Yukio-san I thank you for your encouraging words; however, now I think it's time that you and your men return to your camp as this is a family matter," Kagome knew she was speaking out of turn, and judging by the glare on the priest's face he wasn't happy about it, but she needed to speak for Miroku so he didn't offend the man and bring the kami's wrath upon his family.

"I cannot do as you _command_ of me Kagome-sama because I am needed as a high priest to pray for the souls that will be lost today."

Kagome could feel Miroku's arm tense at Yukio's words and she feared the worse. "There will be no lose today Yukio-san I can assure you… now I ask again that you please leave as you are doing more harm than good right now." Kagome let her mouth run again and she forgot her place, several of the men from Yukio's group became enraged at how she spoke to their leader; one of the men even went so far as to try and slap her across the face for her words had Miroku not caught his hand mere inches before it grazed her.

"You let this woman speak to master Yukio in such a disrespectful manner Houshi-sama?"

Kagome had never seen her friend so angry before, not even towards Naraku, "You will not touch her." If Miroku was a demon she was certain he would have broken the other man's hand.

"That is enough!" A lone voice came from the crowd of men and when they parted Hisashi was standing there, "Lady Kagome is right, this is no place for you or your men Yukio-san; and I am asking you to return to your camp for the night." With the headman of the village now giving the orders several of the villagers decided to step up and show their dominance over these travellers; they would drive the outsiders back to their camp and out of the village by force if need be.

Yukio was not a stupid man and he could clearly see that his people were outnumbered by those in the village; they would stand no chance in a fight and this situation was no worth fighting over anyway. "Very well Hisashi-san… we shall leave," Yukio turned and headed in the direction of their settlement, his followers too leaving the area; however, just before he disappeared behind a hut Yukio grabbed Masanori's arm. "I want you to stay close and observe; come straight to me afterwards and report your findings."

"Of course master."

With Yukio and his men gone Hisashi smiled to his two young protectors, "Now with their dark aura free from the village I'm certain you both can focus on the gracious miracle that the kami is giving this village." The headman waived with a gentle smile and shooed the remaining men away that were there and didn't belong anyway.

Once alone Miroku turned to his longtime friend and younger sister, "Kagome, please Sango needs yo-."

Kagome put a calming hand to his worried face, "I know and you need to calm down; having you out here worrying won't do her any good inside. Sit down and breathe, if you need it there is a jug of sake in my hut." She didn't want him drunk just a little buzzed to calm his nerves.

"Lady Kagome!" Rin's cherub like voice from the hut door drew the older girl's attention. When she had gone to retrieve lord Inuyasha's mate from the forest she ran right back to the hut; when Kagome didn't follow right away she ran back outside to find her. "Keade-sama needs your help!"

"I'll be right there Rin-chan!" Kagome gently brushed Miroku's hair out of his eyes in a very motherly like gesture that relaxed his whole body. "Don't worry Miroku… everything will be okay."

"You know… I really wish Inuyasha was here right now Kagome; he would be able to keep me distracted."

"I know… I wish her was here too." Kagome kissed the top of Miroku's head before leaving his side to enter the hut.

* * *

'_If there are truly kami in this world they will kill all these asses at this damn table and let me go home to my mate!'_ Inuyasha was slouching in his chair, very un-princely like, listening to yet another trivial squabble between the badger demon tribe and a clan of turtle demons wondering again why he was there.

Nearly a month ago when Sesshomaru had come to the village he thought he would only be there a few days to do damage control; that theory went right out the window when they got to the palace and word got out that the human group was on the border between the east and west.

To calm the panic Sesshomaru sent his brother on a wild goose chase since there was no real sign of any of these powerful humans at the border; now sources are telling the lords that they have retreated to the south again… but that was weeks ago and there hasn't been any new information since.

Inuyasha had wanted to return home since there was nothing he could do without an idea as to where the group was; however, Sesshomaru kept giving him odd jobs to do dealing with keeping the peace in the lands. Every time Inuyasha would argue about the busy work his brother would just bring up the fact that if he were to return to the village and news about the group were to be brought to the palace it would take too long of a time to go and retrieve him; they would without a doubt lose the trail… and now this is where it left him, sitting in council again listening to a bunch of whining.

'_Not only is this beyond boring but there isn't a chance in hell that Kagome isn't going to let me into the hut for at least two months since I didn't keep to my word… and we were doing so well too, I don't want to have to go back to using my hand for relief.'_ Inuyasha's ear drooped when thinking about how angry his mate will be when he gets home.

Inuyasha cringed as one of the badgers released a high pitched screech in protest to what a turtle just said; this whole thing was giving him a headache and if Sesshomaru hadn't forced him to leave his sword in his chamber he would have already ended this feud with a mass murder of several clans.

"Sesshomaru, how can you deal with this all the time and remain sane?"

"Why do you think this Sesshomaru spent so much time away from our father's lands; there are far greater things my time could be spent doing then sitting here."

"Keh… tell me about it; why am I here again I don't need to be listening to this crap!"

The arguing continued in front of the two dog brothers but unless there was blood shed Inuyasha didn't really care what the hell was going on. The younger dog was just about to slump over into his chair and take a nap when the chamber door flew open and a familiar figure stepped inside.

"This is what you've been doing for nearly a full moon cycle; when Kagome kinds out you've been sitting on your ass this whole time I hope she neuters you mutt face."

"Koga? What the hell are you doing here?" Inuyasha ignored all the other clan leaders presence to focus on the leader of the wolves that just walked in.

Koga folded his arms over his chest plate and growled, "What the hell you think I'm doing here you moron? I'm looking out for my friend, what kind of mate are you to abandon Kagome like you have?"

Inuyasha roared and jumped from his seat getting right in his former rival's face, "I have not abandoned her, I was needed here and so I left her protected in the village."

"Protected my ass, you have no idea what is going on in your village do you?"

A chill ran down Inuyasha's spine, "What… is Kagome alright?"

"If you were at your village you would know; something is off there."

Inuyasha suddenly became aware that everyone in the room was now staring at them; a deep growl erupted from his throat and he turned to glare at the rest of the demons present. "What the hell are you all staring at, go back to your bickering!" He grabbed Koga's arm and lead him out of the chamber, slamming the door shut, and into the hall. "Now what the hell is off with my village and my mate?"

Koga sighed and leaned against the wall a lot less tense now that he wasn't in a room full of older demons… wolves weren't friends with many of species and the wolf prince was sure either his father or himself had probably pissed off every demon in that room at one time. "Look I'm not certain what is going on just that Kagome was acting really weird the last time I saw her. I assume you are aware of what happened in the south; well I lead a group of my clan down to retrieve the bodies of our fallen comrades that fell and was bringing them to the burial grounds… you have no idea how many females and cubs were killed."

"I know the southern clan was wiped out and I will get the people that did this Koga trust me; I can't have them moving freely through the lands and killing more demons." Inuyasha had not seen the carnage the group had left but seeing how distraught the wolf was he was glad he didn't.

"I should be the one to avenge my clan mutt."

"Oh yeah and that went over well seeing as the last time you attempted to avenge your clan Naraku tricked you and you broke my arm and nearly killed Kagome!" A bout of growling ensued between the two males before Koga stopped.

"Look I didn't come here to fight with you dog; when we were collecting the dead I stumbled upon the southern prince… he survived but was badly wounded. It was some sort of human priest curse and we couldn't help him. I brought him to your village since both Kagome and that old woman know what to do about that stuff."

"And how does this relate to Kagome being in danger?" Inuyasha was completely confused as to how his mate tied into this with her life possibly being in danger.

"I was getting to that fi you would have patience. When we got to the village I approached your hut and Kagome freaked out, she looked like she'd seen Naraku again and she ushered me back into the woods before the humans could see me. I was confused because the other humans have seen me before and didn't have a problem about me being there."

Inuyasha's stomach plummeted, "S-She's hiding something?" His mind was racing with different images and possibilities of what his mate could be hiding; an image of a unknown man came to the forefront of his mind. He could barely catch his breath at the thought that Kagome could be seeing another man while he was away. Just the possibility of her having an affair was ridiculous but he had been betrayed so many times before in his life it was the first train of thought his mind took.

"Hey mutt, before you go off on any thoughts, she ain't seeing anybody; I was close enough to your hut to get a sniff and other than the fox kit you took in only your scent was there. And while we walked back to our settlement I could tell there wasn't any scent other than yours on her so get that thought out of your head," Koga could see where the other man's mind had wondered to and he needed to bring him back on track. "She was protecting me from who has made your village their new home. After Kagome went back home I did a little scouting and on the other side of the town was the group that killed the southern wolf tribe."

"What! That's impossible; Sesshomaru's scouts said they had gone back to the south." This news was worse to Inuyasha than Naraku getting another shard; the very dangerous group that was killing any demon in their path, and had their sites on his mate, was now right outside of his village.

"Well obviously the scouts are wrong because I saw them with my own eyes."

Inuyasha began to pace up and down the hall still in denial, "The men have been watching them and if they moved I would know!"

"Did you ever stop and think Inuyasha that maybe the humans found out someone was spying on them and they killed them before they moved; if they can kill a whole tribe of wolf demons a few scouts form the west wouldn't be a problem. Tell me… when was the last time your scouts reported to you?"

Inuyasha stopped mid-step and the wolf saw all the color drain from the dog's face. Inuyasha then snapped into action and raved back over to the doors of the chamber he was in twenty minutes before; like Koga he pushed the doors open causing them to slam into the walls and startle everyone, except Sesshomaru, in the room.

"Brother, you claim to be enemies yet your manners are as bad as the wolf's," Sesshomaru chastised his brother's rude behavior however the look in his eyes told Inuyasha he was grateful for the interruption.

"The land dispute has to wait… the human group from the south has moved into the east and is currently near the village I protect."

The demon lord's eyes changed from their normally dull expression to one of shock showing his surprise over this news. "How is that possible? The scouts sent to watch them have not reported a move; and the guards I have hand chosen at our eastern border would have spotted them as well."

"Koga thinks the scouts were killed since there has been no word from them for weeks now," Inuyasha could have kicked himself for not realizing how long he had been there without an update; he has gotten soft since becoming a full demon and he has let his guard down. When he was a half demon never would he have laid around and waited from updates; he would have been doing his own scouting and the he would have known that the humans moved. Now Kagome was in danger and he needed to get back to the village. "If the scouts are dead it wouldn't take much to kill the border guards as well."

"What do you suppose we do lord Inuyasha?" One of the turtle demons that was arguing over the land earlier now had its attention on this new problem.

"Who cares what they do as long as they stay away from the west it shouldn't be our problem," the lead badger demon stuck his nose in the air like he was better than the turtle for not showing concern; he looked to Sesshomaru hoping with his cold demeanor he would gain the dog's favor and grant him the land his clan wanted.

"You forget you over sized mole…I live in that village with my mate; the lady of the west is in danger!" Inuyasha could barely keep his temper in check at what the over grown rat just said.

"Inuyasha is right we cannot allow these humans to continue to roam freely about the country… Jaken," Sesshomaru stood from his chair as his little imp advisor appeared at his side.

"Yes milord?"

"Go to the border and find what happened to the demons there and why they did not report the humans' movement; and then go to the south and find the scouts."

The imp bowed, "Of course lord Sesshomaru," and then he scampered passed Inuyasha and out the chamber door heading for the stables and the two headed dragon.

Once that order was given Sesshomaru moved to his brother's side and turned to address those still in the room, "The meeting is over for today as this Sesshomaru will be travelling to the east for an undetermined amount of time."

"W-Wait lord Sesshomaru… about the land dispute," the badger stepped forward with a sly smile to his lips; that was quickly wiped away by Sesshomaru's light whip slashing across his furry check.

"This Sesshomaru has decided to award the tortoise tribe with the land in dispute… you are lucky to still have your life at this moment badger." With that finished both brothers left the chamber to prepare for the journey to Keade's village. An hour later the dogs and lone wolf left the western palace and headed to the east.

'_Hold on Kagome… I'm coming.'_

* * *

When Kagome entered the hut she was hoping it was as bad as she feared; after Masanori told her Chieko was helping Keade with the birth Kagome began to panic at just what the outcome of that maybe. Her fear was confirmed when she saw the strange priestess standing to the far side of the hut with her arms crossed and a displeased look on her face.

Both Keade and Rin were trying to calm down a distressed Sango who was laying on a futon near the empty fire pit. Kagome immediately went to her friend's side and took up a damp cloth to wipe her forehead.

"I'm here Sango, everything is going to be okay," Kagome took her hand and let her squeeze it as hard as she wanted.

"You should not fill her head with such nonsense lady Kagome; I have seen this many times before… one of the children inside her womb has already left this world," Chieko's two sense was not needed especially since she was not helping anyway.

Kagome looked to Keade, who was busy preparing clothes for when the babes were born, but she didn't miss the glare the head priestess was giving the other. "Let us not get ahead of ourselves Chieko-sama, we will not know what is to become of the children until they are born; having Sango worry now will only do harm in the end," Kead did not have it in her to be mean to Chieko; in her mind, though the priestess was not use to their ways was trying to help… in her own way.

"With respect Keade-sama, but just how many births have you gone through with two children?"

"Not many however I am certain I have assisted in far many more than you in my old age."

"Is that pride I hear leaving your lips Keade-sama? Surely the kami would not-."

"Enough!" Kagome couldn't take any more of this woman's chattering; her best friend was in pain and about to give birth, she didn't need this. Her children should be born into a peaceful environment not one filled with tension an anger… and there was no way Kagome was letting this woman ruing this happy moment. "Chieko-sama… leave now!" Keade might not have the guts to throw her out but Kagome wasn't going to be pushed around.

"What? How dare you… I am here to help this poor woman; there is so much sin taking place in this village and I am trying to counter act that with prays to the kami. It is not your place to deem me unworthy of being here."

"Actually it is my decision Chieko-sama, I am Sango-san's primary care giver and seeing as all you have been doing is scaring her, possibly endangering her life and the lives of her children, I am asking you to leave immediately." Kagome stood and moved away from Sango to stand on her other side in front of Chieko, her hands on her hips to show she was serious about her order.

And a staring match ensued between the two women; they were completely eye level with each other and Chieko was sporting an intense glare because no one told her what to do. But Kagome was just as stubborn and with Inuyasha, a very stubborn man and full demon, as a mate she has had her fair share of stare downs so she was not giving up. Seeing this going nowhere, and the younger girl not turning away, Chieko merely brushed it off like it didn't affect her; she stuck her nose up in the air and then left the hut.

'_Talk about prideful… she didn't even think anything she said was wrong.'_ Kagome didn't have time to ponder Chieko's strange behavior because a pained whimper from the futon drew her back to Sango's side. "Sango hang in there, take some deep breaths and everything will be okay." She took the cloth again from the bowl and dabbed the sweat from the other girl's face.

"Ka-Kagome… it hurts so much."

"I know it does right now but try to breathe through it; and just keep thinking about those little girls, you'll be able to hold them soon and you'll be a mommy." Kagome tried to keep the panic from her own voice; though her has not experienced child birth herself she has assisted in a few in this era… an none of the other women have looked to be in as much pain as Sango was right now. She looked to Keade for any suggestions on how to ease the pain some; her question died on her lips though when she saw Keade bring a very dark, bloody cloth from between Sango's legs, she had been cleaning up the girl's lower region to clear the birth canal for the babies. But the blood flow did not cease and old priestess looked saddened as she tried to stop it; she didn't need to speak for Kagome to understand what was happening, Sango was losing far too much blood for even this early into the labor and if it wasn't stopped both she and the babies would die.

* * *

Outside of the hut Miroku was still sitting on the rock Kagome had place him on; his hands on his knees cradling his head in a strange depressive meditative state. He would cringed an draw tighter into himself every time he heard Sango cry out from inside the hut; it was ironic how he was helped calm many expecting fathers these past few years yet now with him in the same position he could not relax… that jug of sake Kagome offered was looking really good right now.

"Miroku-Oniisan?"

The monk's head shot up at the unfamiliar term giving to him; standing not too far away from where he sat was a rather tall man with a lean build yet a face he remembered vaguely. "Ko… Kohaku-kun?"

The boy gave a gentle smile at the recognition and stepped forward; a small figure sitting on his shoulder shifted drawing Miroku's attention. "Mew!" The tiny cat jumped from her master's shoulder and landed in the monk's lap, purring a happy greeting to him after so long a part.

"Hello Kirara, how are you?" Miroku was surprised to see the two companions on this day.

Kohaku had left the village right after their wedding ceremony the year before, off to slay demons like the rest of his family had done before Naraku interfered. The young boy had been restless for the few months after Naraku's defeat and Sango had suggested he continue to help those villages that didn't have protectors like Inuyasha with their demon problems. So with Kirara as his helper and guardian the boy set off in search of work; he would return to the village from time to time but it was far rarer to see him than say Shippo who would pop up every month or so.

The last time Kohaku had come around had been this past spring after Inuyasha and Kagome had left; he was quite surprised to find out that his sister was with child and that he would be an uncle, he made it a point to stay closer to the village for the next few months in case he was needed. On this morning he happened to be in a village closer to the northern border of the east when Kirara began to act strangely. The cat demon had protected his sister since she was a child and while the two were off exterminating demons they developed a strange six sense for when either one of them were in danger.

So Kohaku allowed her to take him where she wanted and they wound up outside of Keade's village; everything seemed in order so he decided to visit his sister and brother-in-law. But when he got to their hut and found that neither of them were there he began to panic; he immediately went to Keade's hut since that would be one of the only places they would go… he was relieved to see the other man outside of the hut, but the distraught expression on his face worried the boy.

"Onii-san, what is going on? Why are you sitting out here?"

The brief joy over seeing a long missed friend left Miroku's face at the boy's question; he absentmindedly began to pet the cat's head as a comfort to himself. "Sango is about to give birth."

"Oh… well wouldn't this be a happy time?" Kohaku has never been around for a birth before so he didn't know how stressful a time it was even for a normal birth… and this was far from normal.

"Yes Kohaku-kun, it is a joyful time; however, Sango is having a hard time."

"How so? The last time I visited she was fine… did something happen?"

"Yes after you left a short time later Inuaysha informed us that Sango was carrying twins… his nose never lies; and now she is in great pain trying to give birth to them," Miroku looked to the younger boy not surprised to see how the lad's face had paled considerably since he sat down.

"T-Twins?" Kohaku had never seen what happened when two children were to be born at the same time but he knew it never ended well.

"Yes so I am sitting here now praying to the Buddha and any of the kami that will listen to allow them to survive." Miroku bowed his head again in mediation; Kohaku nodded in understanding and he too closed his eyes and sent a pray to both his father and mother to help their daughter during this difficult time.

* * *

"Sango! Sango you have to stay awake, do you hear me… Sango!" Kagome's frantic call and light taps to her hand and face jarred the laboring woman from her dazed state; she was extremely tired now and just wanted to sleep… thankfully she wasn't in pain anymore. "Keade-sama, she's in shock if we don't snap her out of it she'll fall unconscious and then…" Kagome couldn't finish the thought that was on her mind; if she did she feared it would come true.

"I don't know what to do child," Keade was still trying to stop the massive blood flow coming from the young girl; thankfully it wasn't as much as hours before but she feared that was because Sango didn't have much blood left in her body… she was already a ghostly white color and the old woman feared death was upon her.

"Keade-sama, we need to get the babies out now; surely after all this time she should be ready to push."

"With so much blood I cannot be certain of anything Kagome; I am afraid that even if she were able Sango would not have the strength to."

"Yes she will… she has to because I won't allow her to die; come on Sango!" Kagome was in a panic now, never had she thought she could possibly lose her best friend… she refused to. "Sango-chan you're stronger than this, you survived Naraku attacking your family, and you helped Miroku not give up when he was dealing with the wind tunnel… and if that doesn't show how strong you are you married the pervert!" Kagome laughed through the tears dripping down her cheeks when she saw a very small smile ghost across her friend's face at her joke.

"Now I know you can do this," Kagome and Rin helped Sango sit up to give her better leverage to push; at the new angle the pain Sango had felt earlier came back again and she screamed out.

More blood came pouring out from between her open legs and Keade grabbed more cloth to clean it up, "If she is ready to push than she needs she needs to now child… those babes need to come out."

"Okay Sango did you hear Keade-sama the next contraction you need to push and then those little girls will be here." Sango didn't hear a word Kagome said because her body was in so much pain it was taking everything in her to not pass out right now; there were no breaks between the pain so she didn't know or for how long she needed to push. "Sango-chan push!" Kagome's command snapped Sango out of her haze and she gritted her teeth and began to push.

Kagome prayed that with everything that happened earlier the actual birth would go easier; she hoped the little ones would pass through the birth canal with ease because they would be smaller than a full term baby… but judging by the pain still evident on her friend's face it wasn't going easy. _'Please… please let them survive this.'_

A tight pressure gripped Kagome's hand as two screams filled the hut; one was from Sango as the pain in her body grew ten times worse as something passed through her lower region, the second cry came from lower as a very bloody mass was lying in a cloth Keade had in her hand.

The priestess quickly moved over to a clean basin of water and another cloth and began to wash the blood from the squirming new born. Rin moved to Keade's side to help and looked at the child, "Oh Sango-san she's beautiful!"

With all the blood gone the tiny babe's features were more identifiable; her skin still had a pinkish hue to it but that would fade in a few hours' time. She gave soft whimpers from her tiny mouth, not happy that she was forced from her mother's warm womb, a tiny button nose that was the same as Sango's; and a dark head of hair that was identical to Miroku's… she was a perfect blend of both of her parents.

Keade wrapped the baby in a thick blanket to shield her delicate body from the cold outside and handed her over to Rin who carefully placed her in the basket that was turned into a make shift bed.

"Oh Sango, she's perfect." Kagome could barely hold her tears back as she laid eyes on the baby; she was so happy for her friend that the child was alright after her rocky entrance into the world, but there was also a pang of jealousy deep in her heart the part that wished for her own child. But she quickly pushed that thought away to focus on the second part of this mission. It was then that she noticed that Sango had gone limp at her side.

"Sango… Sango-chan!" Kagome grabbed the cloth she used earlier to dump a small amount of water on the other girl's face; but there wasn't even as much as a twitch from Sango. "Keade-sama, what's wrong with her, she was fine a minute ago!" Kagome paled when she saw how much blood was now pooling in front of the priestess.

After the baby came out the pocket between the infants must have filled up with the liquid; now not only was Sango dying of blood loss but the baby still inside her womb could possibly be drowning as well.

"Kagome, child ye must calm down."

"We have to wake her up before the baby dies. Sango… Sango wake up please!" Kagome tried to shake the unconscious girl but it had no effect. _'Come on Sango don't do this please… Miroku and the babies need you, you can't die… you just can't!'_ The young woman was in complete panic and everything she tried to do wasn't working; she felt like a failure to her friend because she couldn't help her.

With all that was going on no one noticed the rise of spiritual power that slowly began to eminent from Kagome; her hands began to glow a pale pink as she was trying to wake Sango. "No you will not die do you hear me Sango-chan… you will live!" Kagome's determination caused her powers to release and the hut was suddenly engulfed in a white light much like what happened the night before when the seal was erased from Nobuo's body.

Outside the hut both Kohaku and Miroku had to shield their eyes from the light. "What is that Miroku-Oniisan!"

"I don't know."

The whole area was bathed in the light and many of the villagers close by thought a kami was visiting their shrine; they dropped what they were doing and bowed sending their prayers to the gods to bless their home.

Everyone was so busy thinking a god was upon them that they missed Masanori standing a few yards away from the hut. "Her power… it's so beautiful; master will be pleased with this information… she is ready to join us."

* * *

**Note: Don't ask me where the end of this chapter came from... I don't like it one bit but I didn't know where I wanted to end it that would make sense. And everyone should be happy that I added Inuyasha in this chapter since he's been... gone for a while; he's coming back to the village and when he meets Yukio and his group that should interesting. Sango had one baby but will she and the other survive?**

**Side note: I'm back in classes (my last ones) so the chapters are going to be slow, I'm trying to get them up faster but I still have work. I'm hoping not to have a two month drout like I did before since I don't have that much work but it's still pretty steady so just keep a look out.**

**Thanks to:  
**inuyashalover33  
corincat331  
ilovevampires19011  
edasama  
Jaunty Maestro  
luis1113  
mangamichelle12  
**For reviewing... it's tiny... I'm losing people... so sad!**


	17. Survival, death and returning

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"talking" _'thinking'_… all that good stuff

* * *

Kagome was exhausted as she trudged back to her hut that night; all she wanted to do was fall into her futon head first and sleep till spring.

"I see you're finally finished," The deep voice from the pitch black woods along the trail between Keade's hut and her own nearly gave Kagome a heart attack. If she had the energy to spare she would have found a way to blast the person lurking in the shadows; but thankfully she didn't have to do that since the man, or rather demon, made his presence known.

"Oh… Nobuo-san you scared me I was about to vanquish you."

"I highly doubt that Kagome-sama since you can barely stand up right now," Nobuo's crisp violet eyes caught how the girl's knees were shaking as she stood right in front of him.

"Hehe yeah I guess you're right… it was a really stressful afternoon."

"Aa… I'm not surprised the amount of spiritual energy you released could be felt for miles, the light was rather blinding as well."

An embarrassed Kagome tried to hide the flush on her face; she didn't realize she had released that much energy. "Yes well it was definitely worth it." Kagome smiled thinking about that afternoon; with that thought in her very tired mind Kagome continued on to her hut, Nobuo followed like a loyal… wolf cub.

The two walked in silence the rest of the way to the hut and Kagome didn't notice she had a follower until he spoke. "How is your… friend? She was to give birth yes?"

Kagome smiled again and invited him inside for tea; once the hot water was brewing the tea leaves in the cups she was able to think back on what happened. "She survived, Sango is resting peacefully in Keade-sama's hut for the night and if she is able tomorrow she will go to her own hut to rest. The babies are safe too, both of them; I don't remember much after the light engulfed the room but Sango woke up and delivered the second baby… it was a miracle."

"It wasn't a miracle, what is with you humans and blind faith, you did it Kagome-sama; your power was same that healed me last night… you are truly what you humans would call a kami."

Kagome blushed at his words, "Nobuo-san I am not a god in anyway… I'm just glad I was able to help her," She took up a cup of tea and handed the other to the wolf.

"Two cubs and the mother survived… though you deny it among the wolf tribes you would be a god. If I may ask what were the cubs?"

"They are girls, both of them, but we already knew that since Inuyasha could tell by their scents that they were female."

"Yes dog demons have highly sensitive noses, canines in general do; it wouldn't be hard to figure out the gender of a cub while it's still in its mother's body."

"Yes I remember how well those noses work," Kagome giggled thinking about when Inuyasha and she had first started their journey and how embarrassed she would get when he would crawl all over the ground and sniff for scents.

"Emi was going to have a girl… I knew a few months after she told me she was cubbed; I wanted to surprise her so I didn't say anything… I wish I had," Nobuo's eyes got that glazed look again as he was thinking about his past.

Kagome was shocked that the wolf prince was bringing up his mate again and with such a sensitive topic; she remembered he was telling her the story about what happened to his village before Rin interrupted that morning. She hoped he would finish it now but was fearful if she asked he would get angry… seeing as it wasn't her place to ask.

Nobuo's eyes refocused on the fire that was stoking in front of him.

* * *

**The village was burning, huts were ablaze as the flames licked at the straw roofs; and being a dry summer without many rain storms they didn't stand a chance against the fire and they burned faster than normal, huts were falling faster than I could blink. Many of the villagers had already raced to the river to gather water to save their homes; those who weren't fast enough to leave their rooms had already died from the smoke… the smell of the burning corpses was something I would never forget.**

"**Nobuo-sama, what do we do?" The wolf was still standing in front of me awaiting my order; my mind had drawn a blank as I was still trying to process the scene in front of me. **

**A scream of a female in the distance drew me from the shock; now wasn't the time to figure out who did this but to save the village. "Get all the females and cubs out of the village, use our old den in the woods, then the old humans bring them to the river since the den is too far a walk for them; get the men and our pack to try and stop the flames from spreading."**

"**And what about you my lord?"**

**I turned to look at my hut it wasn't on fire nor was it at risk of catching fire; but my mate and cub were still in danger… they needed to get out. I then looked to the hut a few yards away where my father and the village leader lived, neither were outside so I thought they weren't aware of what was happening, I needed to warn them too; I also planned to find out who was behind this attack. **

"**Nobuo-sama?"**

"**I must alert my father about this and then I will find the culprit," I turned to the demon to gain his attention for my next order, "My mate and unborn cub lie sleeping in this hut I trust you will get them to safety."**

"**Of course my lord, I will guard them with my life." Once I was certain of his word I took off to do what I stated.**

**The smoke was throwing off my keen nose so I had no idea what to expect when I entered the hut my father lived in; a cloud of dust flew up when I moved the flap aside and it blurred my vision causing my eyes to tear up.**

"**Father… Father we need to get out of the village it's under attack; the men are moving the females and cubs to the river… come on old man are you deaf now too!" I growled growing frustrated that I was getting no response; my eyes were still close do to the dust but once I rubbed them clean I was able to see the condition of the room… or more rather what wasn't there. "Father?"**

**The old wolf was nowhere to be seen but the hut was trashed with blankets and beds turned over and spread about the floor; which was odd because both the old men were extremely tidy and didn't like things askew in their old age. It was then that I realized there was a rather large lump under the headman's futon; on my guard I lifted the bedding to find the man lying on his belly, face practically crushed into the floor boards.**

"**Elder… hey get up." He wasn't responding to my call so I bent down to roll him on his back to figure out what was going on. A chill ran down to my tail when I round out why he didn't hear me… he was dead, his throat had been sliced open his face pale due to the fact that his blood had drained into the wood floor itself.**

**With his death and the hut a mess I grew panicked as to where my father was; but with the smoke in the air still I couldn't get whiff of my sire and so I wrapped up the body in his blankets, out of the respect for the old man and what he did for me, to preserve him somewhat… if the men didn't stop the fire and this hut was caught up then he would simply burn with it; but if we were able to save the village later after this was over I would give him a proper burial… Emi would want that. Once my job was done I left the hut in search of my father again hoping he did not fall to the same fate as the headman.**

**In my haste to find my father I nearly missed the fact that there was no longer any commotion outside; the fires were holding strong and yet no one was fighting them. **_'Where is everyone?'_** With my order given the men should have already gotten the villagers to safety and they should have returned to battle the flames but as or right now there was no one. My gut was telling me something was wrong, my men wouldn't disobey me; but with the smoke still about my nose couldn't tell who wasn't in the village… or who was.**

**A thunderous crack rang out and drew my attention to my right… where my hut was located; my heart plummeted seeing the roof burst into flames, my one and only thought at this moment was about my mate. **

"**Emi!"**

**I never made it to the hut though as a sharp pain suddenly pierced my neck; it felt like poison had been injected into my body flowing through my veins and zapping me of all my strength. My aura was drained and I was left so weak I could barely stand; it was a few seconds later that I was hit hard by something at the back of my head, I felt my knees give out but I never felt the earth under me because I blacked out.**

**When I finally came to I had no clue what happened or where I was; my neck burned my body ached and my head was still spinning. "Damn… what the hell is going on?"**

"**Nobuo-kun!"**

**The panicked cry from my mate locked in my mind and I remembered everything that had happened; despite the pain I felt I sat up off the ground and searched for her, "Emi!" My sight was finally cleared and I was able to get my baring's; somehow I was brought to the center of the village but how or why I was there was unclear. I could feel the heat from the fires as the huts burned around me the smoke billowing into the already dark cloudy sky.**

'_It doesn't make sense I told the men to put out the flames why wo-.'_

"**Nobuo-kun, are you alright?" Emi's call was in relief yet I could hear the fear in her voice; I finally was able to spot her not a few yards away from me but what I saw nearly stopped my heart. A wooden pole had been erected in the direct center of the village's large market square, or what was left of it, and Emi was standing in front of it in the sleeping yukata she went to bed in last night. **

"**Emi!" I made a move to get to my feet to go to her but the second I stood a bolt of electricity shot up from the ground in warning for what was to come; a large wave of spiritual power shot up my legs and it seemed to target the burning pain in my neck, a silent scream left my lips as my legs buckled from under me… and this time I was conscious when I hit the dirt. **_'What the hell was that? It felt like I was about to be purified.'_

"**Nobuo-kun, are you alright?" Emi's voice was worried but I couldn't move or speak just yet to tell her I was alright. While I tried to recover, and get my head wrapped around the situation, I began to take deep breaths of air to see if the enemy was near Emi or me; but the only thing I could smell was the earth under my body… and ink?**

**I gathered enough strength to push my upper body off the ground and that's when I finally saw it; the earth under me had strange designs drawn in ink upon it. "What the?"**

"**Nobuo-kun, don't touch it… it's a scared barrier," Emi's warning caused me to withdraw my hand from the liquid.**

'_A barrier?' _**"I'm being contained!" The fur on my tail bristled at the thought of being in a cage… I am a wild animal and didn't like being locked up. And I wasn't the only one, looking over to my mate again I noticed she too was surrounded by the same circle that I was in. "What the hell is going on!" I roared causing my demonic aura to flare in rage and to fight the hold I was under; all I wanted to do was get to my mate.**

"**That is the very question I have come to find out." A growl ripped from my throat hearing a strange male's voice so close to my mate and I was trapped. I drew myself to my knees again finding the barrier didn't react as violently as before; apparently as long as I didn't wish to leave the circle it let me move.**

**Now upright I easily could see the man standing an equal distance between Emi and myself. He was an older human, one I had never seen before and he had never been in the village before. He smelled of incense and death and his aura caused my skin to tingle in a bad way… he just screamed danger. "Who the hell are you?" the human completely ignored me and turned to Emi.**

"**In my many years I still cannot think of how women can be so weak to allow these vile creatures to taint them." The stranger's disgust was evident in his words thought he wasn't facing me; I didn't want him anywhere near Emi.**

"**Hey old man I asked you a question and you will answer me!"**

"**I can see the taint clearly as you carry that demonic seed… child you have fallen far from the kami's favor; this is far worse than I feared."**

"**You're wrong sir, I am not tainted; I carry Nobuo-kun's cub because I chose to… I love him." Emi's words warmed my soul and gave me a little of the strength I lost because of the barrier. Another growl escaped me lips as the man stepped into Emi's circle and approached her.**

'_Move Emi… get away from him my mate.'_** My thoughts went unheard though as Emi didn't move as he stepped up to her and grazed her face with his disgusting fingers causing her to flinch away. "Hey don't you touch her human or I'll rip your limbs off!"**

"**You poor child I can see this demon has a tight hold over you… I am not sure I can save you but I will try to rescue your soul. This situation is far worse than you explained Masanori… I had more faith that you could handle all of this." The man looked behind Emi to whoever he was talking to; I could barely make out a cowering figure hiding in the shadows the smoke clouds made.**

"**I am sorry sensei I thought I had everything under control as well but I must have misjudged how these demons thought and before I knew they had taken over the village and I was no match… they put their spells over everyone and I was cast out." The man stepped out of the shadows and I growled again because if could believe who was standing there.**

"**Seiji-san? W-What are you doing here?" I could smell the fear oozing off of Emi and it caused the barrier around me to crackle as my aura rose; seeing the male that once was her husband so close to her left me uneasy.**

"**It was you… you did this to the village human?" Both males finally turned to acknowledge me.**

"**We have cleansed this village of its demonic taint; it is the worse I've ever seen and Masanori should have sent for us sooner."**

"**Who is Masanori? And what do you mean 'we'?"**

**The stranger smirked and extended his arms to the open market before him. "I am one of many in our group and we are called upon when a demonic infestation completely destroys a village; we must purify these lands of all that lived here."**

"**You can't do that… we've done nothing to hurt anyone!" Emi's dark brown eyes blazed with her anger; ever since she began carrying the cub her temper has been short with everyone.**

"**You misunderstand what could happen; this village is polluted with demonic spawn and if it is not stopped it will spread… the balance cannot shift, demons will completely take over our world if this continues."**

'_What is wrong with this human? Just because my clan has moved into this village didn't mean others would do it too; demons don't even want to be near humans unless food is scarce and they crave human flesh.'_** "So what are you going to do burn down the place and leave us homeless?" This human seemed very full of himself and if I allowed him to continue to talk maybe it will give me enough time to figure out how to get us out of this.**

**Growls and yips drew my attention to my far right where I noticed one hut was untouched by the fires; and in front of it were a few members of my pack and several females. My men looked defeated and badly injured and the women were in tears huddled close together; I released a growl to draw a wolf's attention, speaking in our native tongue wouldn't cause alarm and I could find out what happened while I was unconscious.**

'_**What happened? Why were the villagers not in the den like I ordered?'**_

**A young wolf I didn't know very well spoke up,**_** 'We tried Nobuo-san, but the humans got there first and placed sutra at the entrance, the first wolves to try and go inside were purified my lord… they are dead.'**_** My heart lurched at the loss of my comrades and I vowed I would get revenge once I was free but I needed to focus on the rest of the explanation first. **_**'We were going to move farther into the forest but these humans had us surrounded; they are powerful priests my lord and those that tried to attack were killed… we didn't stand a chance.'**_

'_**What? But that is impossible, where are the others?'**_** Now that I got a better look at who was there the group of prisoners were young wolves barely old enough to mate; none of the older members that had survived through the wars were there.**

'_**They're all dead Nobuo-san, the humans killed all the villagers too, even the cubs,'**_** the young wolf bowed his head and tried to suppress a whimper but I could still hear the pained noise come from him.**

'_The cubs… they murdered innocent children; and if those women are what's left of the villagers they have killed innocent humans that had nothing to do with us… these humans are worse than demons.'_

"**What are you growling about demon, have you been reduced to your bare canine instincts and lost your ability to perform human actions?"**

"**You killed my men; you murdered innocent cubs and villagers that didn't even interact with us!" My rage was getting the better of me and I felt the barrier last out.**

"**Fruit of the poisonous tree, no one that lived in this village was innocent they allowed your kind to remain here; if we allowed anyone to live that was tainted the balance would be tipped in favor of the demonic race."**

"**You stupid fool… you're the one shifting the balance; we are the southern wolf tribe and our northern brethren will know of your attack against us… you will be bringing the entire demonic world again you." I could see the fear in Seiji's eyes at my threat but his master was unfazed.**

"**Your threats mean little to us after we are finished here we will be heading north in search of the priestess that killed Naraku; with her power helping us purify tainted villagers it will make others think twice about trying to control humans."**

"**Keh, you think one woman can kill that many?" It was impossible, besides a priestess did not kill Naraku; Inuyasha the second son of the dog general did… but of course these humans wouldn't believe that.**

"**It will not matter if a mongrel like you believes because you will not be among the living to witness her power… you should be thankful that we are giving you this mercy."**

"**Nobuo-kun!"**

**My eyes never left the man as he made a hand gesture on his right and turned away from me. A woman, not much older than Emi came out of the group of human men by my pack. She held no emotion upon her face but just looking at her clothing I knew she was a priestess; growing up mostly in the woods I never came across a priestess before so I didn't know how powerful this one was.**

"**Yes Yukio-san?"**

"**I believe there is no point in trying to reeducate those of this village since the demons have completely taken over… we cannot save them; Chieko-sama please see that their spirits rest easier than they have in this life."**

"**Of course Yukio-san… as you say," the woman bowed and then turned back to the other men in their group; she bowed her head and for the first time since her appearance I saw a small glimmer of regret flick across her face. A small nod of her head caused a chain reaction of chaos; the foot soldiers who appeared to be priests began to force the females into the empty hut, not knowing why the women began to fight back and tried to escape.**

**The members of my pack, though young, began to growl and fight their restraints to get to the women. "What are you doing to them; let my mother go!" The young wolf from before hollered over the others; he tried desperately to break free of the ropes he was tied up in but the priestess put a stop to his movements.**

**I couldn't make out what she was mumbling but after she had completed her spell the cub screamed and tensed up falling forward in the dirt; his neck was glowing a pure white as I could smell the singed flesh where he was purified. The other pack members were angry at her attempt to take the cub's life but none of them tried to interfere or they would suffer the same fate; I could see on all their necks the same strange design as the ink on the ground… that was how the humans were controlling us.**

"**What do you plan on doing with them Yukio-san?" I could hear Seiji whispering; he was playing with his robes as he watched the scene before him… he obviously wasn't comfortable with what was going on.**

"**You are not having second thoughts now Masanori; you know as well as I thought demons cannot roam freely among our lands or there will be no humans left… you are on our side my boy yes?"**

"**Of course master these demons must be destroyed but must the humans suffer as well; I know some of these women would be on our side."**

"**None of those alive have begged for the kami's mercy therefore they are beyond our ability to save but their sacrifice will not be in vein. Many villages will hear how these wolves were welcomed inside this town only to kill everyone; other humans will then abide by the gods wishes and not bed anymore of these creatures."**

"**Of course my master I apologize for losing focus," Seiji bowed his head and prayed for forgiveness which Yukio easily granted him.**

"**If this is too much for you my boy you may go on ahead… we will be leaving for the north shortly."**

"**No I am alright Yukio-sama."**

**I rolled my eyes at how he was once again sucking up… the boy truly had neither spine nor honor. None of these humans had any honor, attacking a village that has done nothing to them; burning down huts and killing innocent people merely because they allowed us into the village. **

**The sound of splintering wood and horrific screams along with the smell of fresh smoke filled my senses drew me to look at the sight these humans planned out. I couldn't believe what I saw; the priests, men who are supposed to protect humans during this life, were setting the hut that the last of the females were trapped in, on fire. The women were screaming in fear and pain, some were crying out for their mates while others were begging for mercy; the sight alone made me lurch forward, my stomach couldn't handle the smell any longer and the cries were remain with me for the rest of my life.**

**After an hour or so the screaming finally stopped, the wood of the hut was completely black and could no longer feed the flame; the ashes settled and the smoke continued to filter into the sky… but no one survived. The priestess approached the rumble and knelt to the ground; again she was mumbling something, most likely a final blessing, but I was certain it would not do a thing to calm the murdered souls.**

"**You damn bastards; I'll kill you for this! My mother has never hurt anyone, she didn't deserve this… just because my father was a demon who gives you the right to decide who lives or dies!" The wolf cub was distraught, tears running down his cheeks, as he fought harder against his binds. I was surprised he was able to move so quickly after the zap he got from the priestess; I then remembered he was only a half demon and therefore his human side wasn't affected by her power making it easier for him to recover than someone like me who is full demon. **

"**We are sent by the gods to rid this world of demons and those that side with them; therefore, we may judge those unworthy of forgiveness and any that betray the human race will be put to death." The priestess glared at the cub not liking his out spoken rage. This time when she invoked her power the cub was ready; he didn't fall over this time just merely gritted his teeth and flinched a little as the seal on his neck began to glow. "What… but that's impossible; the demon should be quivering in pain like before," the priestess stepped back in horror at this discovery.**

"**He is a half breed Chieko-sama they are the abominations that come from when a demon rapes a human women; they are far more dangerous than even a demon because they look more human and they are not affected greatly by spiritual power."**

"**Of course Yukio-san, I will remember that next time; however, if enough spiritual power is behind the attack it will purify anyone with demonic blood," with what happened to the females already I didn't like where her thoughts were going.**

**While the humans were talking I could feel a dramatic change in the aura of the young cub; I didn't have to look over my shoulder to know he was losing control over his demonic blood because of the death of his mother… shortly he will change into a mindless killing machine. To prove my theory a vicious growl ripped through the silence that had fallen among the area. The cub lost all sense of control and who was pack or enemy; he easily overcame the seal and the bindings he was wrapped in and leapt to his feet, the humans were locked in his angry red gaze.**

"**Yukio-sensei, what is this? How is a half breed able to overcome the seal?" Seiji stepped back as the cub charged them; however, he didn't get far, as he reached the edge of the inked in circle another barrier shot up and violently threw him back to the ground. This time since he was somewhat a full demon the spiritual power in the barrier nearly burned the flesh clean off his bones; he was bleeding extensively and whimpering in pain but his demonic aura was still in affect over his body and mind and so he tried to get back up and attack them again.**

"**This Masanori is the reason why these hellish creatures are not meant to live among us; they lose their minds and end up killing innocent humans, this creature must be put down before it hurts someone… Chieko-san!"**

"**Of course Yukio-san." The priestess approached the barrier again, her aura was brimming with her pent up hatred; for a third time on this day she began mumbling in that ancient language. With his demon blood predominant in his body the cub stood no chance in with standing her attack this time; I couldn't bear hearing his scream as the seal burn away his flesh, his body jolted up and contorted in pain.**

"**Stop it! Stop you're killing him! He's just a boy you cannot blame him for what he was born as… please stop!" Emi was in tears while begging for the cub's life; she had been so quiet I almost forgot she was still tied up in front of me. She had witnessed everything that had happened and I wished I could somehow get to her and bring her into my arms; but like what happened earlier I was certain I wouldn't be able to leave the circle I was in.**

"**You child, of all heave disappointed us… you had a good husband that took you in when your family died; you would have never married at all had Masanori not afford his home to you. And how do you repay his gracious offer, not by keeping home or cooking his meals; no you've willing allowed a demon to corrupt you, you've lain with him and now you carry its abomination."**

"**My child is not an abomination! An abomination is something that is neither wanted nor loved; I love my baby and they will know that both their father and mother want them!" I had never seen my mate so vocal towards anyone but me but I was touched that she was so protective of our cub.**

**The human didn't like her outspokenness though, "You dare speak to me in such a manner you truly are a wench!" The man then back handed Emi across her face which caused my heart to lodge in my throat.**

"**Emi!" The seal cracked around me as my eyes began to bleed red but I couldn't get to her and it drove me crazy.**

"**Maybe that will teach you not to speak out of turn since it is clear no one has ever put you in your place; Masanori, I am disappointed that you allowed this woman such free range."**

"**I apologize Yukio-san; I did not have enough time to properly train her before I was thrown out of the village."**

'_Train her… she's not an animal the only one that needs training is you on how to treat females.'_ **The cub's screams finally stopped and his body went still… the smell of burnt flesh assaulted my nose and my ears picked up nothing.**

"**He is dead Yukio-san."**

"**Good… get rid of the rest of them as well… all of them." I knew what he meant and it felt like my whole body went numb, I could do nothing to help my men; if I were able to break free from the barrier I would only have one chance and I would have saved Emi without a second thought… but I never got that chance.**

* * *

"It's foggy after that… between the howls of pain and the loud zapping of the barriers; I lost my mind when the priestess turned on Emi… she would have been fine if the cub wasn't still inside her womb. The demonic blood I gave them was purified when the seal activated… and it killed them both." It was well past midnight now, the fire being the only source of light in the hut reflected off of Nobuo's sadden face; reliving the death of his mate and child brought a tear to his deep violent eyes.

Kagome was horrified by his tale, she knew the stories Masanori and Yukio told her were untrue but she never thought they would be capable of pure blooded murder. She paled just thinking about how the same scenario could befall Inuyasha and herself.

"I knew their story didn't make sense but-."

"Anything they have told you is a lie that you must not believe; they are here for you Kagome-sama… and they will stop at nothing to get you to join in on their twisted ideals that the lands must be purged of all demons."

Kagome got up and collected what was left of their tea; she then deposited it in a basin full of water to be cleaned in the morning, "You have nothing to worry about Nobuo-san, because I will not join them; the very ideals of which they live by are corrupted. I do not believe demons or half demons are born with evil in their hearts; therefore, I have no right to kill them simply because of what they are."

Nobuo believed her and trusted she was on their side; he also has witness firsthand what that choice may come to in the end… but this time he vowed it would be different.

Like the night before Kagome invited the wolf prince to stay the night in her home; having someone she trusted sleeping in the main room made it a little easier for her to get to sleep. She wasn't surprised that when she woke up the next morning her house guest was gone; he most likely had gone hunting for his breakfast.

Kagome whipped up a small bit of fish and rice for her own breakfast, she was planning to go back to Keade's hut to check on the new little ones and possibly help get Sango and the babies back to their hut.

'_I wonder how the little ones made it through their first night… or mommy and daddy for that matter,'_ Kagome giggled at the thought of how frazzled Miroku probably already was with handling two fragile little girls.

"Kagome… lady Kagome!"

The young woman froze hearing Masanori's cheery voice the minute she stepped out of the hut. The man was running across the open field between her home and the path into the village; the smile on his face made her sick to her stomach and she wanted nothing more than to claw his eyes out for his participation in the murders of Nobuo's mate and the rest of the villagers. But she couldn't let him know that she knew about what happened… there was no telling how he would react; she put that fake smile she used for when Inuyasha went to see Kikyo and decided to play along for the time being.

"Masanori, you're up early."

"Of course, I must be up before sunrise to visited the shrine for Morning Prayer… it is you I am surprised to be seeing up this early."

Kagome frowned in confusion by his words, "Why would I not be, there are chores that need to be done and one cannot sleep the day away." She didn't miss the smile getting wider on his face; clearly he was pleased with her answer.

"Well one can forgive you for sleeping in a little with how much spiritual power you exerted yesterday… that can be quiet draining on the body; Yukio-san rests for a several days after a cleansing. And you surely used up a lot of energy since we could not only feel but see its power."

"What do you mean?"

"While Sango-san was in labor the light was so bright everyone in the village witnessed it and to hear the good news that both children and she survived… you truly are smiled upon by the kami."

The mention of gods caused Kagome to roll her eyes and she didn't even care if he saw this time. "It's not really I who should be praised, Sango-chan is the one to do all the work; and I am just grateful her daughters are alright… I was just going to see them now so if you'll excuse me."

"Oh well that is wonderful, I'll walk you there… I was wondering if you would come to our encampment afterward; Yukio-san wishes to speak with you about something very important."

"I'm not sure if that will be possible; besides I don't know how long I will be at Keade-sama's hut today with helping the new family move back to their hut and all," truthfully Kagome wanted no part in Masanori or his group and she definitely was not going to their camp.

"Well I could wait for you, and I am certain master won't mind when you come… we will be in the village for a long while." Masanori was very persistent and he was annoying the girl to the point where she was going to scream at him; but it wasn't Kagome that blew first, no it was the new comer to the field, that neither Kagome nor Masanori noticed with there, that caused panic to fill the girl with just one question.

"Oi human, who the hell are you… and what are you doing so close to my mate?"

* * *

**Note: So Sango had her babies safely thanks to Kagome. We got a little more of Nobuo's back story and we find out what really happened in that village and who really killed them all and now Kagome knows not to trust the 'oh so pure group' lead by Yukio... wonder how that's going to turn out since they still want her to join them. And guess who's back!... The fun begins.**

**Thanks to:  
**HopelessRomantic183 **(big review, luv those!)  
**Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
luis1113  
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	18. Something wicked this way comes

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"talking" _'thinking'_… all that good stuff

**Note: In the last chapter during Nobuo's explanation of his village's death some people might have gotten confused as to how old the cub was that was talking to Nobuo and then got killed. Nobuo called him a cub because he is younger than the prince and Nobuo would call anyone younger than him cub (he calls both Inuyasha and Koga cubs too). But the boy WASN'T a child; he was about the age of a human teenager, around 15ish, wolf demons grow different than dog demons. Inuyasha is around 15-16 when he meant Kagome, mentally, even though his body was around 200; so he grows and matures slowly. Wolf half demons grow like a normal human would until their 20****th**** year of life then their growth starts to slow to a normal demon's… I hope this doesn't confuse anyone farther, but just to clarify the cub that died in Nobuo's memory wasn't an actual child.**

* * *

When Koga told him that the group of priests were camped outside of his village and Kagome had been acting strangely Inuyasha stepped up his efforts to get home quicker than normal; however, upon arriving he wasn't expecting to see his mate conversing with a strange human male like they were close friends.

When the humans turned in his direction Inuyasha had expected Kagome's eyes to light up and a smile to break out on her face as she came running up to hug him. But instead a look of fear was on her now pale face, she almost looked like she was afraid that he caught her doing something she wasn't supposed to be doing. The male's expression was one Inuyasha was very familiar with; spending almost all of his life as a half demon he knew the look of disgust when it was turned on him.

'_Just what the hell is going on here?'_ Inuyasha instinctively bared his fangs when the man stepped in front of Kagome blocking her from his view and drew something from within his robes.

"Halt demon, do not step any closer or I will purify you!" Masanori pulled several of his most powerful sutra from within his robes; he would not allow this demon to attack lady Kagome in her weakened state.

"Huh? Kagome, who is this clown?" Inuyasha ignored the boy's threat and approached, he wanted his mate away from the male now.

"Inuyasha no!" Kagome panicked seeing the sutra in Masanori's hand; she wanted to warn her love to move away but it was too late. Inuyasha was already moving and she didn't move fast enough to stop Masanori from throwing the strips of inked paper at her mate. "Inuyasha!" She watched in horror as the sutra stuck to his mental chest plate causing Inuyasha to stop his approach; Kagome couldn't bear to see him in any type of pain as she expected the sutra to purify him.

She remembered during their travels when he would get out of hand, Miroku would slap a sutra on his back to paralyze him for a few hours to calm his rage. _'Oh god_ _he can't move, the spiritual power in the sutra has him trapped.'_

"Ha! Not so tough are you now demon, I will not allow you to do harm to lady Kagome while she is weak." Masanori had a grand smile on his face thinking he was some great hero protecting a helpless maiden… it was a nice fantasy but his head was in the clouds.

"Huh? What are you talking about you idiot? Kagome, are you hurt?"

"Silence! How dare you speak to lady Kagome… well you will not have the chance to again… be gone demon!"

"No!" Kagome was in tears hearing her grandfather's favorite phrase when trying to vanquish Inuyasha when he would visit in the future. She moved around Masanori to get to her mate and get the sutra off his body before it was too late. Her worry faded though when she finally locked eyes with Inuyasha and saw no pain on his face; she actually had to cover her mouth with her hand to stop the giggle from escaping when she saw the annoyed look on her mate's face… a thick eye brow twitching as he barely kept his composer.

Inuyasha was at first shocked that the human threw the pieces of paper at him; and then he became angry that the little prick recited Kagome's grandfather's favorite phrase when he came to get her… the demon was about a second away from killing this moron.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Just because he looked annoyed didn't mean he wasn't in pain.

"Keh, of course I'm alright woman; I didn't think there could be anyone weaker than your gramps when trying to vanquish a demon… apparently I was wrong," Inuyasha began to peel off the sutra from his chest, crumbled them up and tossed them to the ground.

"Inuaysha, that's littering!"

"Oh relax wench I'll pick'em up later and burn'em… so what the hell is going on here?" The dog demon's golden eyes shifted between his mate and the human who now looked slightly white as if seeing a ghost.

"H-How… it's impossible; those were my most powerful sutra and… and they weren't even effective."

"Keh, if they were your strongest you must not have any spiritual power at all," Inuyasha couldn't believe this boy could be part of the group that killed the southern wolf tribe, hell Shippo was stronger than this human and that was saying a lot since the fox kit wasn't even of age yet.

"Inuyasha, be nice," Kagome didn't mean to defend Masanori, the last thing she needed at the moment was for him to think she cared for him; but that didn't mean she was going to allow Inuyasha to be mean… being a demon already had him in hot water she didn't want him getting burned.

"Kagome, why are you defending him?"

"I'm not… it's just," How could she explain the fear she now felt towards Masanori towards her mate with the boy standing there… she very well couldn't come out right and tell Inuyasha what Nobuo told her.

"Lady Kagome, do… do you know this demon?"

The question caused Kagome to tense and a growl to slip passed Inuyasha's clenched teeth. "Of course she knows me you idiot, what are you deaf? She's my mate, and I've been saying that since I got here!" Inuyasha was quickly losing his patience for this human's stupidity; he was even denser than both Hojo from this time and his descendant from the future.

"M-Mate as in-."

Kagome flinched at Masanori's shock but she could no longer deny it, the cat's out of the bag, and it was time to set a few things straight; she was only grateful Yukio and Chieko weren't there, with proof that Masanori couldn't harm Inuyasha Kagome felt safer that they wouldn't be attacked. "Masanori, I lied to you when you asked about my husband… he isn't a travelling merchant and never has been," Kagome could feel Inuyasha shift behind her, clearly he wasn't pleased with what she told the other man; to calm him some she placed her hand on his forearm and gently rubbed it. "I am mated to the heir of the western lands… Inuyasha." Her hand found Inuyasha's larger one and gripped it tightly when all the color drained from Masanori's face.

"Y-You… it can't be; you're too pure to be tainted by a demon!"

"Keh, who says she's tainted; she still has her spiritual powers."

Masanori was so wrapped up in his own woes from the information he just learned that he completely missed Inuyasha's words. "No you… you can't be… you were… and your aura when you saved me… and last night; but you're a demon's… it's not true! No I refuse to believe it, lady Kagome you are confused as this demon has possessed you; not again, I won't let you fall into the same fate Emi did I won't! I will save you my lady, I will free you from this demon's clutches… even if it is the last thing I do," the young man was speaking nonsense at first but when his eyes locked with Kagome's she feared the determination in his gaze… something told her he was serious and wouldn't give up; however, Inuyasha nor Kagome were able to question his threat because he ran away towards the village like the coward he was.

"What the hell is his problem? Kagome why were you talking to hi-."

"Oh Inuyasha!" Kagome broke down the second Masanori disappeared around the bend in the path; she turned and jumped on her mate pressing her body flush against his. "I was so worried something happened to you; you've been gone for nearly two months I thought…" She couldn't finish her own thought as tears streamed down her face; she clung to Inuyasha like a second skin and buried her face into his neck breathing deeply in his own scent to calm her shaking body.

Inuyasha was slightly shocked when the girl suddenly jumped at him but he wouldn't complain that she wanted to touch him after so long; on the way back to the village he had already prepared himself for the probability that she would be mad at him from not keeping his word about returning from the west weeks ago. But to have her clutching to him now was heaven; he easily took her minimal weight into his own arms as he lifted her up higher on to his body allowing him to nuzzle her check.

"I'm sorry Kagome; I didn't mean to be gone so long. Sesshomaru had sent me to hunt down a group of humans that were killing demons."

Kagome froze at his explanation as to why he was in the west; she began pushing on his chest plate signaling she wanted to be put down. Once her sandaled feet touched the ground she grabbed his hand and dragged him to their hut; what she needed to tell him should not be spoken where others could hear. "Inuyasha, I think the group you were sent after… I think they're in the village," She expected him to blow up in rage at this news but he didn't; he was eerily calm as he looked around their main room… Kagome didn't miss the slight twitch of his highly sensitive nose.

"I know they're here; somehow they got passed the scouts and the southern border guards Sesshomaru had set up."

"Yes I was told they are here because of me; they want me to join their group to kill demons but now I'm certain their views will change once Masanori tells their leader I am mated to a demon."

"Yeah, you aren't allowed out of my sight until they are dealt with you hear me?" Inuyasha slowly moved about the hut, his eyes darting from wall to wall as if searing for something; he finally stopped on the other side of the fire pit and a vicious growl left his mouth as he turned back to face his mate. "Why does it smell like that mangy wolf was here Kagome… his scent is strongest here." Inuyasha patiently waited for her explanation because he knew she would never betray him like that.

"What? Koga hasn't been inside; in fact I haven't seen him since a few days ago when I first met Nobuo-san."

Inuyasha frowned as the male's name left his woman's lips, "Who's Nobuo?"

Kagome moved about cleaning up a few of the dishes she left during breakfast; not in the least bit concerned over the how upset he was getting, "He's the prince of the southern wolf tribe; he survived the attack and Koga asked if I could help him since there was a spiritual seal draining his life away. He passed out when I removed the seal so I let him stay the night in the main room… but that is the only room he's been in."

Inuyasha let out a soft sigh of relief, he knew she wouldn't lie to him so he dropped it as a wave of shame overcame his body at the thought that she would betray him; he was able to push that away with this new information she had given him. Sesshomaru told him all the wolves died in the attack; he would want to know of the heir's survival and would most likely wish to speak with him. His brother however was on the other side of the village at the time observing their enemy and Inuyasha didn't want to bring Kagome into that and possibly get her killed… he would meet up with Sesshomaru later to tell him.

While Inuyasha was wrapped up in his own thoughts Kagome approached him and embraced him; the second the demon felt his woman's presence all his thoughts changed over to her needs. Kagome helped him take off of his armor and smiled when she felt his soft haori from underneath against her cheek.

"I've really missed you… so much as happened since you left." Inuyasha didn't respond with words, he simply picked her up and brought her into their room; he took a deep breath once inside and completely relaxed upon smelling only her fresh scent in the room… his scent was all but gone but he planned to fix that.

* * *

Kagome was surprised a few hours later that no one had interrupted them; with Masanori now knowing who her 'husband' was she half expected an angry mob at their door not a mere twenty minutes after Inuyasha arrived… but there was nothing. They were able to enjoy a little late morning love making and a nap after; in fact the only reason Kagome lay awake now was because her stomach refused to be quiet from all their activities and it demanded food for the energy she lost.

"What's wrong mate?" Inuyasha was lying on his stomach with his arms pillowing his head; the bedding laid low on his hips giving Kagome a wonderful view of his sculpted back.

She smiled and reached over for the closest ear and began to rub earning a rumble from his chest. "It's nothing really… I'm just wondering how Sango and the babies are doing today; I was supposed to go over to check -."

"Sango had the pups?" Inuyasha pushed up on his forearms causing Kagome to whimper when his back muscles flexed and adjusted to his new position.

It took everything in Kagome not to jump his bones for a third time today, "Yes she had the girls yesterday; that's where I was going before you came home." Inuyasha pushed up farther and suddenly drew Kagome into a deep kiss before jumping out of bed with renewed energy; he ran over to Kagome's wooden clothes chest and drew out his normal fire rat clothing. "Inuyasha, what are you doing?"

"What does it look like? Get dressed woman we need to get over to Keade's."

Kagome stood and grabbed the haori and wrap skirt she had been wearing earlier. "But why? Inuyasha what has gotten into you?"

"We have to go greet the new members of our pack… come on!" Inuyasha dashed out of the door like an eager puppy ready to play.

'_What has gotten into him… they're not even his children.'_ Kagome was completely confused by her mate's behavior but followed quickly after him.

* * *

"Inuyasha, you have returned," Miroku was truly surprised seeing the red clan demon and his mate walking across the wooden bridge over the slowly freezing river that separated both the shrine and Keade's hut from the rest of the village. The ex-monk and his brother-in-law were sitting in front of the outside fire pit cooking up some rabbit for lunch; the women inside refused to have a large fire going inside because they didn't want the little ones getting sick from the smoke.

"Yeah I'm back monk, I trust you have been keeping the village protected while I was gone ne?" Inuyasha immediately scanned the area to make sure not even a blade of grass was out of place.

"Yes of course my friend… though I have been quite busy as of late," Miroku motioned with his head towards the hut just as one of the newborns inside cried out for attention; a smile came to his face thinking about his little girls inside. Kagome, hearing the baby, squealed in excitement and dashed into the hut; Inuyasha plopped next to Kohaku and faced the older human.

"Yeah Kagome told me Sango gave birth last night… they're all alright?" Inuyasha's ears twitched as he listened to the sounds from inside the hut making sure everything was alright with the females of his pack.

"Yes everything is great and we have Kagome to thank for that… later that night she told me that Sango had what is called an aneurism and lost a great deal of blood; if Kagome hadn't healed her I would have lost both Sango and my second daughter… we are truly indebt to Kagome," Miroku was near tears just thinking about what could have happened the night before had the girl not been there.

Inuyasha was yet again amazed by what his mate was capable of; everyday she was gaining a new ability to make her stronger… and more desirable for enemies like Masanori and his group. "Keh, you know Kagome would do anything for her friend monk… I am glad they are safe." Inuyasha turned to the younger male who hadn't said a word yet, "And why are you here kid?"

Kohaku jumped when he realized the question had been directed at him, "Um… well, I had heard of a disturbance in the south and Kirara scented something was wrong with my sister and so we came here… Inuyasha-sama."

"Cut the lord crap kid I hate that title… you plan on staying for a while?"

A deep blush coated Kohaku's freckled cheeks, "Um yes… I thought maybe sister and older brother would need help with the babies; and also snow will be falling soon… I normally stay in place for the winter time as to not get caught in a storm." Yes Inuyasha could already tell by the tempter drop that a storm would be upon the village in a week's time; it was good the boy had made it to the village before that happened.

* * *

"Oh Sango, they're absolutely adorable!" Kagome was hovering over the new mother as she fed one of the twins; Sango blushed at the other girl's praise as she watched her younger daughter suckle from her breast… it was very strange last night when they first needed to be fed, but now Sango had gotten used to the fact that she is the key to her children survival. Before they were born Kagome had whipped two blankets and dyed one a soft pink and the other violet color; Sango was confused as to the different colors but Kagome assured her that it would come in handy. And now after their births she was grateful her friend had thought ahead; without the blankets Sango wouldn't be able to tell the little girls apart because they were identical.

"Did you think of names yet?" Kagome's eyes beamed when Rin brought the other baby over to her to hold.

"Yes… our first daughter is Takara and our second Aki," Sango gently caressed the child's cheek she was feeding. "I only hope that as they grow older we will be able to tell them apart," that was Sango's greatest fear at the moment; as their mother she should be able to tell them apart but right now they were just so similar that she couldn't. Aki had finished her meal and now was asleep in her mother's arms which was perfect time because Takara was now waking up and giving tiny whimpers to tell the older women that it was her turn.

"Don't worry about that Sango-chan, all new parents with twins have a hard time telling one child from the other; one of my cousins had twin boys and for nearly a year she didn't know which one was which without the special socks her mother bought them. And over time it will get easier because they will develop their own personalities and traits that will help you," Kagome exchanged babies so the mother could feed the squirming one; this gave her time to examine the second baby more closely. The night before with everything that was happening and how tired she had been she had not gotten the chance to really look at her second niece; and now she could see why her friend was so worried about getting them confused, Aki had the some black hair and skin complexion as her sister… for the first year or so it would be hard to tell them apart.

Just the thought of having to go through that would worry Kagome too and she was relieved to know that she would be having fraternal twins in the future. Kagome tensed up at that thoughts that came to her mind; while she had been helping Sango before the babies were born the little green demon of jealousy would pop up every once and while. She had been good at keeping him at bay but now that she held her friend's baby he was slowly creeping back.

'_No stop that right now, don't think those things; Inuyasha is home now and we will have Inu soon,'_ Though Kagome told herself that she hardly believed it anymore.

* * *

"Miroku, what have those humans been doing since they got here?" Inuyasha could feel a disturbance in the village's normally calm aura coming from the area the group had set up their camp.

"Other than nearly causing Sango distress yesterday and annoying both lady Keade and Kagome nothing out of the ordinary; most of them stay at their camp only the leader and his two lackeys have been in the village as far as I know."

"Don't let your guard down for a second around them… they're planning something." Inuyasha couldn't shake the uneasiness from his bones now that he was closer to the group.

"I thought I sensed ye aura enter the village Inuyasha… was this latest departure a success?" The dog demon's attention was drawn the elderly voice coming from the direction of the shrine as Keade descended the last step.

"Keh, no it wasn't… I wound up listening to a bunch of old men bitch and complain about stupid stuff; and surprise Koga shows up telling me the humans I was looking for were in my village trying to get my mate to join in their murderous rampage!"

"Aye… I see then ye know about our guests; they are very devoted to the gods and believe there is an unbalance in our world."

Inuyasha stood from the log he had taken up and folded his arms over his chest, "Yeah there's an unbalance alright and it starts with them… I need to talk with you old woman… alone," he didn't wait for a reply and just started walking away from the hut knowing the old woman would follow.

A little ways away, out of ear shot of the humans, Inuyasha stopped and waited for Keade to catch up. "I sense you need to ask me something Inuyasha?"

"Yeah… has Kagome been keeping to the schedule?" For the last few hours since they were in bed the thought of Kagome possibly getting pupped hadn't left his mind.

"Nah, boy she has not."

"What! Why not… you said you would have her take the potion until I returned," Inuyasha was furious the old woman didn't keep to her word.

"As I told ye before the previous one had to be flushed from her body with her next blood cycle; however, that fell around the time the outsiders came to the village… since then the child has never had the same schedule every day, what point would it be to give it to her during this time?"

Inuyasha's ears drooped when he saw her point; why give her the drug when he wasn't there anyway? And the old priestess was probably right, with that Masanori guy following her around there could be no possible way for her to visit Keade every morning for her daily tea; which meant no pup for the time being. "Fine but I would like to start giving to her again since I'm back… I'll need the ingredients as soon as possible."

"Very well, I will have them prepared and have Rin bring them to ye hut at dusk," with the plans made the elderly woman hobbled back to her hut for some much needed lunch and then a nap to rest her tired old bones.

When Inuyasha returned to the fire he noticed Miroku had disappeared and Kagome had taken his place at the pit and Kohaku looked a little uncomfortable. "Miroku went inside to help Sango with the babies… what were you and lady Keade talking about?" Kagome tiled her head with a smile on her face that told her mate he couldn't change topics very easily.

"I wanted to know how the village faired while I was away… and what's wrong with you kid?"

Kohaku blushed again and looked down at his feet, "Um well… older brother asked that I sit with lady Kagome until you returned from speaking with lady Keade; and now that you are back I shall be leaving." The boy stood and quickly moved in the direction of his sister's hut where he was staying.

"Inuyasha, did you need to scare him… he was only looking out for me," Kagome felt bad for the boy and Inuyasha was being mean to him.

"Feh, yeah well that's my job as you're my mate and not that I'm home I intend not to let you out of my sight," Inuyasha picked Kagome up bridal style causing her to scream in surprise and then giggled in excitement as he used his in human speed to get them back to their hut faster having every intention of having another encounter like that morning before Rin came to deliver the herbs at dusk. _'If the herbs don't work I'll just have to work ten times harder to get her pupped the old fashioned way… which is really a win for me.'_

When the couple entered their hut they weren't the only ones to know about it. After his encounter that morning Masanori didn't know what to do with himself; his head told him to go straight to Yukio and tell him that their earthly goddess was actually a demon's whore in disguise and they all should burn along with all the others that side with demons. But his heart is what kept him in the forest; only living in this village for a month Masanori knew that he had fallen in love with Kagome. His marriage with Emi hadn't worked because they were not meant to be but Kagome… it was destined by the kami that they were to be together; from the day she saved him in the rice paddy fields he knew. He also knew that if he told his master, Yukio would deem Kagome a betrayer of the human race and she would be burned to death as Emi had been.

'_No I can't have Kagome befall that, she can be forgiven once she sees the error of her ways… I can save her and then I will take her as my wife,'_ Masanori agreed with his own logic an decided he would tell Yukio that a demon was taking shelter within the village and that would give him enough time to save Kagome from her terrible fate.

Masanori wasn't the only one hiding in the woods; a pair of dark violet eyes peered down at the unsuspecting human from the tree tops. "Just wait human, I know you have something planned… but so do I."

* * *

**Note: Okay this was kind of like a recap chapter of what was going on before Inuyasha left up till now. Masanori is very dopey in this chapter in the beginning but I'm hoping everyone realizes he's not that dense; he's just very good at acting the part to throw off his enemies... naming Inuyasha at the moment. And we got to spend more time with Sango and the new babies, they aren't going to be a major part in this story since it's Inu/Kag based but they will make appearances as they interact in Kagome's life. And how will Yukio take to both the demon in the village and later Masanori's trickery towards him to keep Kagome safe; how will Inuyasha handle Masanori's interest in his mate... and what does the man in the shadows have in store for Masanori? Oh and before I forget... we're also getting closer in finding out why Kagome isn't pregnant yet too.**

**Names:  
****Takara- Sango and Miroku's first daughter= Treasure (They don't her over her sister, but since she is the older twin and first born her name would be special.)  
Aki- Sango and Miroku's second daughter= Autumn (I wanted to name her after something that sound like Sage since that's the scent Inuyasha recognized her as while in Sango's womb, and since she was born in the late fall I figured it fit.)**

**Thanks to:  
**InuXKag0.0  
XxGoddess-Of-LovexX  
Shiori37  
S0me18skittles  
Elizabeth Roses  
edasama  
inuyashalover33  
Ldsprincess** (YEAH! long review again... lov'em!)  
**xxdarienchibaloverxx  
CherryBlossom7w7  
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Msmes  
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luis1113  
mangamichelle12  
Inunette  
HopelessRomantic183 **(another long review... love reading them!)  
**Purple Dragon Ranger  
**For reviewing... lov'em... keep it!**


	19. Barren

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that good stuff

* * *

Just beyond the perimeter of the village the outsiders camp laid; the field was filled with tents of different sizes, a few horses were tied up to a tree and several wagons that held the peoples' scarce belongings were scattered about. Three bonfires were lit as the women gathered around them preparing that night's meal; while the men huddled in front of the largest tent owned by their leader.

"Yukio-sama, we have searched the surrounding lands and there have been no sighs of demons anywhere… it is strange that this area, where the Shikon jewel once resided, has no trance of demonic presence."

"I would not be surprised with this knowledge seeing as the most powerful priestess alive lives in this very village… Kagome-sama most likely vanquished all those disgusting creature," Yukio was sitting on a plush cushion in front of a small table; a brush, ink, and small pieces of paper were laid out as he was busy making new sutra.

"I would not be so sure of that master; there is still a half demon lurking around in the woods on the far side of the village," Chieko stood behind Yukio; she didn't want Kagome to gain even more praise among their group as she was still bitter that the young girl ordered her out of the birthing room the day before.

"You know as well as I do that that is only a rumor lady Chieko; lady Kagome vanquished that half breed over a year ago after he broke the jewel." Chieko was taken aback by her master's words but she knew not to question him while in the presence of the other men.

"What will we do now sensei?" A foot solider in the group asked; all of them waited for their leader to give the word.

"Winter is fast approaching we will remain here until the spring thaw; by then lady Kagome will have joined our cause and with her power we will be able to move into the demon territory in the west… there and with her we will be able to cleanse those lands as well." Yukio's confident words caused a grand cheer from the crowd; it gave them hope and confirmed their faith in what they were doing. With a plan in motion the rest of the men headed towards the fires as the women began serving the meal; it was at this time that Chieko felt it was appropriate to voice her concerns.

"My lord I fear you may be mistaken concerning the half breed; the rumor stated that he was alongside lady Kagome during her quest… I do not believe she vanquished him."

Yukio stopped inking the sutra, he was not pleased that she was bringing up a subject he deemed closed or that she was challenging him. "You think I am mistaken do you? Well then tell me Chieko-sama if she did not dispose of the creature then where is he? If she bound him to her then clearly he would be at her side and yet we have been here nearly three moons and no signs of him," Yukio decided that since he was right that he would not have her punished for speaking back.

"But my lord, she merely could have sent him into hiding in the woods since we have been here; none of the men have checked the forest and I believe she is hiding something," Chieko didn't forget about the other day when she visited Kagome's hut, the girl looked pale when she began talking about investigating the tree the half breed was to be sealed on and she refused to invite her inside… it wasn't hard to come to the conclusion that she was hiding something.

"Silence Chieko! You have spoken out of turn for long enough and I will not overlook it again; there is no half breed in the village and you will not bring this up in lady Kagome's presence… we need her to join our side willing and to accuse her of such a thing could turn her against us."

The priestess wanted to argue her side, that she knew he was wrong; but she kept quiet and minded her place, her master had already pardon her tongue once and he wouldn't again. "Of course my lord."

"Yukio-sama… Yukio-sama!" The panicked voice of his loyal servant drew the older man's attention away from the priestess beside him. Masanori came stumbling down the path towards his group's encampment screaming as if the fires of hell were chasing him.

"Masanori, what is the meaning of this! Has my training gone to waste on you as you've reverted back to a common villager!"

Once Masanori reached his master's tent he dropped to his knees in a deep bow, "I apologize my lord but I have terrible news… a demon is in the village."

"What? Impossible I've sensed nothing all day now are you certain boy?"

"M-My lord, I saw the creature with my own eyes; I tried to vanquish it but it was too strong for me… I fear it is after lady Kagome." Masanori felt extremely guilty for lying to the man that took him in after his village threw him out; but he couldn't risk Kagome's life… not if he was going to have her as his.

"It is alright boy, you did all you could with limited training, the fact that you lived through the fight shows how strong you are becoming… the kami are smiling down upon you." Yukio placed his hand a top Masanori's head while praising him.

"I feel their graces upon me master but how will we handle the demon?"

"Allow me to worry about that boy; you have done well now go and get some food and rest," Yukio motioned to the fire where the other men were; the young boy nodded pleased that his teacher bought the story… he got up and went over to join the large group.

"Yukio-sama, what will you do about the demon?" Chieko felt she could voice her concern about this since it involved everyone.

"For the time being we will simply keep a closer eye on the village; if this demon is lurking in the village then hopefully lady Kagome will take care of it and we will be able to witness her power once again," Yukio went back making up more sutra and smile spread on his face.

"My lord… are you certain that leaving this demon to lady Kagome is the right idea?"

"Again you doubt my judgment Chieko-sama? I have full confidence in her; after all she easily vanquished the boar demon we captured to chase Masanori into the village in the first place why couldn't she handle this as well?"

Again Chieko held her tongue but the feeling of uneasiness wouldn't leave and it would remain until the demon was destroyed… and something was telling her that wasn't to happen.

* * *

That night, the sun had just set a few minutes ago, and a shadowy figure made its way into the village a specific hut in mind. Most of the villagers were unaware of their presence… all but one. Inuyasha was enjoying a nice quiet evening with his mate; a roaring fire was in the pit and Kagome snuggling into his side after a hot meal and a cup of tea… it couldn't get any better.

Then suddenly he sat up a little straighter, slightly jostling his sleeping mate causing her to groan in displeasure; his ears were twitching picking up every sound outside of their hut and an annoyed growl left his lips when he picked up a familiar scent approaching his home.

He kept his voice low, as to not wake Kagome, when he addressed the person outside, "Well are you just going to stand out there all night or are you going to come in?"

The door opened, allowing the cold night air to slip inside, and the shadowy figure that was moving about the quiet village now stepped into the fire light. "Why is it that every time I enter your hut my nose is assaulted by your coupling with your human?"

"Keh, just your luck I guess since you refuse to take a mate yourself; what are you doing here I thought you were watching the humans Sesshomaru."

The elder dog brother did a quick search of the room as he scented the air; yes the heavy scent of his brother breeding his bitch was thick meaning it was quite resent that he took her to their nest… and multiple times too. But under that his nose was able to pick up the stale scent of a wolf and it wasn't the cub from the north. "Why has your human allowed another male into your hut while you were away?" Sesshomaru's golden eyes locked on the tiny female resting on his brother's thigh.

"Relax… sit down and wait till I get her to bed then I will explain," Inuyasha stood and carefully lifted Kagome into his arms and brought her into their bedroom to lay her on the well-used futon; he smiled when she whimpered at the loss of his warmth, she turned over as her hand searched for him in her sleep.

"In… yash."

"Shhh… mate go back to sleep; I will be in shortly after I speak with Sesshomaru," Inuyasha brushed his crawls through her soft raven locks to lull her back to sleep; but she refused to do so without him beside her.

"Don't… go."

"I'm not leaving Kagome; I'll just be in the other room talking… here you can keep this until I come to bed," Inuyasha took off his fire rat haori and draped it over his mate; with the added warmth and his woodsy scent engulfing her Kagome was able to fall back into a peaceful sleep. Pleased that she was content now the dog demon nuzzled her cheek in affection before getting up and joining his brother back in the main room.

After explaining to his brother what Kagome told him, Inuyasha sat stoking the fire while waiting for Sesshomaru to process it all. "I want to speak with the wolf immediately."

"Good luck trying to find him, he's somewhere in the forest; I already talked to Koga and he said the wolf hasn't been back to their group since they got here."

"The wolf will come if I call him," Sesshomaru stood and made his way to the door only to stop just before opening it. "Why are you brewing a human fertility potion?"

"W-What are you talking about?" Inuyasha couldn't believe the question that just came from his brother's mouth; why would the demon lord be interested in his affairs anyway?

Sesshomaru turned back toward the center of the room his eyes immediately going to the bundle of freshly picked herbs near Inuyasha's leg. "I have lived long enough to know all methods humans use to breed… I will not repeat myself."

Inuyasha's ears drooped feeling like a pup that has been scolded, "I don't know why I can't get Kagome pupped so I'm trying this; Koga and Miroku were able to father children and I know I did in the future… I don't want to lose that chance." They had been mated for a little over a full year and they didn't know when Inu was supposed to be born; Inuyasha feared his conception date was near or… it may have already passed, just the thought of possibly losing one of his pups caused him great heartache.

"That potion won't work; use your head brother how can a human's remedy work for a demon?" Sesshomaru's harsh words may have hurt more than when he put his fist through Inuyasha's stomach.

A soft whimper left the young dog's throat as his hopes were crushed, "Then… is there some sort of demonic remedy that can help us?"

"Why are you trying so hard, now is not the time to breed with these humans around; you need to focus on getting rid of them before bringing a pup into this world," Sesshomaru said no more as he left the hut most likely after Nobuo; leaving Inuyasha with no answer to his question.

"Damn bastard why can't he ever give me a straight answer; I know what has to be done but that doesn't mean Kagome can't be in an early stage of breeding while I deal with the humans. I just need to know what is the reason why I can't pup her."

"W-What?" The soft gasp like question from the bedroom made Inuyasha pray very hard that the person standing there wasn't who he thought it was; and if it was that she didn't hear what was just discussed. "Inuyasha, what did you mean by that?"

Kagome had been awaken by the men in the other room and in her groggy state she missed most of what they said but when her brother-in-law spoke of human fertility treatments she became alert. _'Why would Sesshomaru be interested in a pregnancy remedy?'_ Kagome untangled herself from the bedding but wrapped her mate's haori around herself and when she opened the door that separated the two rooms was when she heard Inuyasha's words that made her hear stop.

'_He's… he's been trying to get me pregnant?'_ Kagome wasn't angry at the idea itself, more than anything she wanted a baby of her own; with Ayame and now Sango having children she felt a little left out, like they were in some private mother's club that she wanted to be a part of. But never did she talk to Inuyasha about it because she didn't want to put pressure on his bedroom performance and with his continuous trips to the west it wasn't the right time to have a baby if he wasn't there to help her.

But to now find out that he has been trying and apparently for a while if he was now using fertility drugs on her… and to find that nothing was working brought Kagome to tears… all of her fears were coming to life.

Inuyasha felt his stomach drop when his mate began questioning him and then to smell her tears caused him to react finally. "Kagome, it's not what you think!"

"It's not what I think? What do I think Inuyasha; what is going on… have you been trying to get me pregnant?"

There was no use trying to deny anything now; he just hoped she would not fall apart like he feared when he tried to explain. "Yes I have, I've seen the way you looked at Koga's pup and when Sango was carrying so I thought we should start our own family now; we have the spare room that is only used when the runt's here and I knew you wanted to be a mother since the pups left… and so I've been trying to pup you."

"Well Inuyasha, you could have told me that's what you were doing, I can track my cycles and we can find the perfect time to try and have a baby."

Inuyasha took Kagome's hand and pulled her into his embrace so she wouldn't leave when he told her the bad news. "Kagome, I already know when you're most fertile… I can smell it."

Kagome blushed into his chest when she heard his confession. "Oh well… then we don't have to worry about that but," the question Inuyasha feared most then left Kagome's lips, "If you know then why am I not pregnant? I know you have been gone a lot but when we were out of the village this past summer we were together for months; surely with how much we were intimate I would have become with child… unless s-something is w-wrong," more tears came to Kagome's eyes as Inuyasha's grip tightened around her. "That's it isn't it! Something is wrong and I can't get pregnant!" Kagome was hysterical now trying to push Inuyasha away but no matter how hard she pounded her fist into his chest he wouldn't let her go.

"Kagome, Kagome stop we don't know what is wrong! You go into heat so you are able to become pupped… it could be me; something could be wrong with me!" Inuyasha was desperate to calm her down so they could talk about this. But Kagome refused to believe him, he was a demon and was perfect if there was a problem it had to be with her weak human body; she had to get away from him. She couldn't bare him blaming himself when it was her; it hurt to think about how he has committed his life to her till the day she left this world and now she knew she couldn't give him the children and the family he deserved.

"Inuyasha let me go please… I-I can't be here please… please let me go," Kagome cried as she fought to get out of his arms.

The dog demon was having a battle within himself all his own; he knew she was in great pain and he wanted to do everything to ease it for her but he was what was causing the grief and he had to let her leave his embrace. Once she felt his grip loosen Kagome scrambled out of his arms like she was on fire, her actions caused him to whimper like a beat dog but Kagome ignored it and move around the pit avoiding his gaze. "Kagome… mate?"

"I'm sorry Inuyasha but I can't… I can't be here right now," she couldn't think of anything better as an excuse and she didn't want to see the disappointment and anger in his golden eyes so she fled leaving the hut and into the darken night.

"Kagome wait!" Inuyasha didn't want her to leave the hut in the middle of the night she could get lost in the dark or bump into a demon if she headed towards the forest. She was upset and not thinking clearly he couldn't have her out there like that but he also couldn't confront her or risk her pushing farther away; he quickly made the decision and took off after his mate.

Silently in the dead of night with only the moon lighting his path Inuyasha trailed his woman from the trees as she walked the dirt path farther into the village; he was relieved she hadn't gone into the woods in her state and with her safe in the village he wouldn't have to interfere and could follow to see where she was going.

* * *

When she took off from the hut at first Kagome had no idea where to go and what to do; in her time of need she the person she felt safest confiding in was the person she was running from now. _'Why… why didn't he tell me I couldn't have children; the minute he found out he should have said something instead of pretending nothing was wrong and trying to use fertility remedies that wouldn't work.'_ Kagome pushed the thought away as she made her way down the path to the only place she could think of going at this time of night… she only hoped the residents of the hut weren't asleep yet.

"Keade-sama, are you awake?" Kagome had been happy when she saw the fire light through the door flap of the hut.

"She's not here Kagome, I believe a young boy has fallen ill and she is at this parents hut for the night trying to cure him," Sango's soft voice, followed by a baby's gurgle, answered the girl's call.

"Oh Sango-chan, I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you up." It was decided earlier that day that Sango and the babies should remain at Keade's hut for a few more days before returning to her own home; Miroku agreed with the elderly woman but since there were so many people in the tiny hut, even though Keade had her own room, he decided to sleep at his own hut where Kohaku and Kirara were residing while they were in the village.

Sango smiled and motioned for her friend to come inside, "You didn't wake me Kagome, I've been up for a while feeding these two; they only sleep a few hours before their hungry again.

When Kagome entered she could see one infant greedily feeding from her mother's breast and her twin was squirming around in the blanket in Sango's lap; despite the smile Kagome could see how tired her friend was for caring for two babies at once. "Yeah they'll be like this for a few months but then they will start to sleep fully through the night," Kagome came over and took the baby from Sango's lap into her arms and began to rock her.

"Yes well Miroku better get used to it because there are the only children he's getting from me for at least a few years," the infant she was feeding was finished and Sango shifted to burp her; then moved her back into the cradle that was beside her bedding where the infant fell asleep.

Kagome looked down to the baby in her arms wrapped up in the pink blanket she made; seeing the color made her realize she was holding Takara, the elder twin, and that now she had fallen asleep too. She quickly handed her over to Sango to put in the same bed as her sister; they found out the night before that the babies preferred being close to each other when they slept, Kagome explained that it would be that way for a while since twins develop a very strong bond in the womb and rarely like to be without the other.

With the little ones taken care of Sango could now focus on the problem that her friend had come here with, "Kagome, are you okay… there is a reason you were out this late yes? Does Inuyasha know you left the hut?" At the mention of her mate all the emotions she was feeling a short time ago came flooding back and Kagome was in tears once again. "Kagome! What's wrong, what happened… is Inuyasha hurt?" Panic filled the slayer's body seeing her best friend in tears; something either happened to Inuyasha or the two got into a fight which hasn't happened lately.

"He… he is fine but… he's mad at me," Kagome broke down and held herself tightly trying to keep her cries quiet as to not wake either the babies or Rin who was sleeping in the other room.

"Mad at you? How could he be mad at you… did he throw you out of your hut!" Sango found that hard to believe; dog demons rarely, if ever, get angry at their partners, they would most likely kill themselves before allowing anything to happen to their mates.

"W-What… no he didn't throw me out… I l-left because I couldn't bear to see him so angry and disappointed."

"I'm sorry Kagome but sweetie you've lost me; I'm trying to understand but you're making no sense."

Kagome took several deep breaths to calm herself down and try to explain what happened. "Sesshomaru was speaking to Inuyasha about Masanori and his group and just as he was leaving he asked why Inuyasha would be using a fertility potion; I overheard and when I asked him Inuyasha said he was trying to get my pregnant."

"Oh well I thought that would make you happy Kagome; with the children leaving I thought you would want to be a mother rather quickly."

"But that is just it Sango… I want to be a mother more than anything but… I can't! Inuyasha has been trying to get me pregnant for months and nothing is working; I'm afraid I may be… barren."

"What! But that is impossible Kagome… you saw the children you give to Inuyasha in the future; there were six living breathing proofs that you are not barren."

Kagome stood and began to pace back and forth trying to sort all the thoughts that were racing through her head. "Something could have happened to me, with all the times I've been thrown around or poisoned… poison," Kagome's face paled as her legs gave out from under her causing her to fall to the wood floor.

"Kagome, Kagome what is it?" Sango watched as the young girl placed her hand on her stomach where her womb would be inside her body.

"It was then… when Naraku poisoned me with his miasma… I felt it burning my body as Inuyasha held me."

"But Kagome, Inu healed you when he took the miasma out; surely he would make sure _everything_ was as it should be."

"But he is a boy Sango-chan; he wouldn't know the workings of a woman's body… I probably will never have children now and Inuyasha deserves a mate that can give him the family he rightfully deserves."

"Kagome, Inuyasha loves you and even if you cannot give him children I'm sure he wouldn't want to lose you."

Kagome shook her head, her raven locks glimmered in the dulling fire light, "No it doesn't matter what I want or wish; I cannot be selfish… Inuyasha deserves to finally be happy and that is with a family I cannot give him." She began weeping again crying for the loss of her chance to be a mother, the loss of the children she will never have… and the great loss and heartache she feels for losing the man she loves. Sango, seeing her friend in great pain, got up from her bedding and drew Kagome into her arms in a motherly embrace trying to calm her down; outside the cold winter winds began to pick up, bringing the snows ever closer to the village, and whipped about the village… and just at the forest's edge if you listened hard enough you could pick up the mournful howl of the dog prince.

* * *

**Note: I have to admit this was not how I wanted Kagome to find out about the fertility potions Inuyasha had been slipping into her tea; but my other idea would have expanded between far too many chapters and would have messed up the time line I set in the other story, which no one has figured out yet still, so this is what I came up with... not the greatest but it fits better. The next chapter may take a while to get out because I'm skipping over several months all at once so bar with me. And in the mean time I would like it if anyone could start looking over my newest Inuyasha story called 'Touched by death' I know a few of my readers have looked it over already but I would like more if it's not too much trouble. **

**Side note: Several people thought I introduced a new character in the last chapter, the guy spying on Masanori, I need to clear that up; it was Nobuo hiding in the tree. I may have confused people because he's eye color changed a lot; they are a violet color and either lighten or darken depending on his mood.**

**Thanks to:  
**Shiori37  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
Priss-hanyo **(yay another long review!)**  
CherryBlossom7w7  
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**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up!**


	20. Winter storm

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that good stuff

* * *

Winter hit the village faster and harder than anyone expected; snow covered the ground within a few shorts hours of the first of many snow storms to come. It was already the makings of a terrible winter as food quickly began to run low; though the village had a bountiful harvest that fall no one expected thirty of so extra mouths to feed.

Yuki's group did have a few carts full of supplies when they arrived however those were hidden away and only used in emergency situations; the leader told his people to go to the village storages when they handed out rations if they wished to eat… they were protecting the village so it was only right that they were allowed to share in the food, this of course less for the villagers. Keade had to make a leading decision and she didn't wish to fight with their guests so she gave her hut's rations to a family with small children… it wasn't much but it was all she could do.

"I'm sorry about this child but they have little ones to care for that need the food more than we do."

"No Keade-sama, you did the right thing; I'm certain Rin-chan and I can manage… I'm worried about you." Kagome had moved herself into the elder priestess' hut a few days after her break down in Sango's arms; she decided she couldn't remain in the hut that Inuyasha had built for their 'family' when there wouldn't be any.

Keade of course opened her home to the distraught girl, though she hoped it would not be a permanent stay as the two young lovers got over this heart breaking news. Kagome however couldn't see a bright side to this and she has already opened up her mind to becoming the village's full time priestess once Keade left this world; she planned to start her training in the spring… if they made it passed this winter.

With no food from the storage both Rin and Kagome would have to go to the river and pray it hadn't completely frozen through yet as so they could fish. However as the girls prepared for the cold trip out of the village they were shocked to see two items wrapped in brown paper sitting outside the door.

"Rin-chan, where did these come from they weren't here earlier."

"I don't know Kagome-sama, but let's open them!" The excited eleven year old picked up the smaller of the two packages since it was lighter and Kagome grabbed the larger and brought it inside.

"What do ye have there child?" Keade had just come out of the second room of the hut.

"Someone left these at the door Keade-sama!" Rin was like a kid at Christmas wanting to open her presents.

"Rin-chan, we don't know if these were meant for us," Kagome didn't want to get the girl's hopes up, someone could have accidently dropped them in the snow and simply didn't realize they were missing.

"But we won't know unless we open them right Kagome-sama?"

"Calm yeself little one, we will see… she has a point though Kagome-san; why don't you open that one first," Keade put a pot on the fire for tea as she watched the young woman carefully unwrap the mysterious gift.

Under the brown paper Kagome found the object to be firm yet soft at the same time; but she could only guess at to what it was since it was wrapped up in dark cloth with a twine rope that had a letter attached to it.

"Read it Kagome-sama!" Rin was practically bouncing around in excitement.

Doing what the child wished Kagome opened the letter and tears immediately came to her eyes when she read over the inked scribble she knew so well. **'Can't have my mate, the old bat, and the kid starve this winter now can I? The other package was at our hut when I came back; it's for the girl, I think my brother doesn't want to be seen by the humans.'**

"Kagome, what is the matter dear?" Keade watched as the curious expression for what was in the packing quickly melted into one of despair the longer her eyes remained on the note.

Kagome felt Keade approach her side and she began to wipe the tears from her eyes; the older woman didn't need to worry about her emotional baggage right now, "It's nothing Keade-sama; Rin-chan, you can open that parcel… it's for you."

The little girl didn't need to be told twice as she began to rip the paper, far less gently than Kagome had, to reveal what was inside. "Oh look Sesshomaru-sama has given me another pretty yukata!" Rin began to twirl around with the garment flapping in the wind she created which caused the older women to giggle at her childish antics.

"Rin-chan, that's not a yukata that's a komon; it's much thicker than the other ones you have as it will keep you warm when the winds pick up again," Kagome recognized the fabric anywhere as Inuyasha had brought her home one similar last winter during his many trips to the west.

"Oh you're right Kagome-sama, I have grown a lot since the last snow and my old one no longer fits… I wonder how he knew since I have not seen him in many months." Rin knew her lord was a busy demon now that Naraku was gone and she was but a mere human child; but she did enjoy when he visited her and she missed him very much when he was away.

"I'm certain that even while gone for a time dog demons know exactly what is happening with those they care for," Keade moved the pot from the fire to brew the tea; but Kagome didn't miss the look the grandmotherly figure was giving her.

She quickly brushed the feeling off and went to open the package she had forgotten about; after reading the note she wasn't surprised to find meat in the wrapping… judging by the size Inuyasha must have tracked down a deer in the forest. He bleed, skinned, and then cut off the choice pieces giving them to the females in the hut… he was being a very good alpha right now and it made Kagome feel that much worse that she was barren.

"Kagome?"

"Here Keade-sama, I think we'll have a few days' worth of food here… I need some air," Kagome's emotions were getting the better of her again and she didn't want to worry the others in the hut; a walk in the snow would clear her mind… she hoped.

"Alright child, just be careful and do not stay out too long."

Kagome nodded and put on her deer skin boots Sango showed her how to make last winter; they would never be as good as snow boots from the future but at least her sock clad feet were dry and warm. While she trudged through the nearly ankle deep white power her mind couldn't help but wonder back to the life she left behind over a year ago.

She wondered how her family was doing, if it had snowed at the shrine yet and how was grandpa holding up; did they miss her or wonder how she was doing. Her old friends, they would be completing their first year of high school in the spring and she kind of wanted to know if any of them have bugged her mother for the fake phone number to their fake house in the states; Kagome knew her mother had many excuses ready for why the number was disconnected… she was always clever like that.

'_Yeah mama always knew what was wrong and how to fix it; maybe she could tell me why I can't have a baby.'_ Another reason she missed the benefits of her time, not only did they have central heat on cold snowy nights like this by they also had the technology to determine if she was unable to have children and also different methods they could try to conceive.

Kagome's mind was so bogged down by different thoughts that she just allowed her feet to take her around the village; but where she stopped, or where she finally began to refocus, she started to regret taking the walk. Even with the snow covering everything she would never forget the grave maker signifying her precarnation's finally resting place.

After Naraku's defeat, Inuyasha had given Keade the remaining ashes of her sister to put back to rest; this time however as to not repeat the past Keade put a very powerful charm around the area where the grave was. This would keep demons and evil humans away and no one would be able to revive the tragic priestess again. Kagome had never visited the grave even with her trips to the shrine; Kikyo and she never saw eye to eye, though Kagome tried, and so now with her redeath the young woman felt she should be the last person here.

Even now a year later with times of peace… Kagome felt no rest from this journey; she stood in the snow glaring hatefully at the large gray stone in front of her. "You're probably laughing this up aren't you Kikyo? You couldn't have Inuyasha and you were mad even at the end of your second life that he was choosing me; you fought with me for his attention all the time and when I thought we were finally going to have peace… now we can't even be happy. It's like you're torturing us all over again; did you plan this is that why you didn't fight when Inu killed you… because you knew we would be unhappy. You probably think I am still weak… you're looking down on me even in death." Kagome fell to her knees in the snow not caring in the least bit that her hakama were soaking up the snow and chilling her legs to near numbing status. Her soul focus was on the tiny etched marks in the stone forming the older woman's name.

"I felt so many emotions when you came back to life; I felt like an old doll that children didn't want anymore. Everyone told me your story and I did feel horrible for what happened to you; you were betrayed and killed by Naraku. You hurt Inuyasha with what you did and you took fifty years away from him; there are times when I wished you never met him, that he would never have had to have been in that pain. But then I think about it and if you weren't there then I would not have been able to show him what true love was… I love him in a way you never could. And that's why I think you should have never been brought back to life; if you hadn't Inuyasha wouldn't have been so torn between us and we could have been together sooner and maybe Naraku would not have poisoned me and I could give my mate the children we should have had!" Kagome's emotions broke free again as he tears fell, she grabbed clumps of snow and began to throw them at Kikyo's grave; it was extremely disrespectful to mark a person's finally resting place but she didn't care because it made her feel better. She never could stand up to the priestess while she was alive so this was the best she could do.

When her hands became too numb to grab anymore snow Kagome wrapped them inside the shawl she was wearing; by now her whole body was shivering from the cold but she still refused to go back to the hut. Going back now would only worry Keade and Rin which she didn't want; if she got up and walked a bit more she would warm up and then by the time she got back to the hut the others would most likely be asleep since it was quite dark already… she could just sneak inside and slip into her bedding without disturbing them.

But when she moved to stand legs were stiffer than she originally thought; the tingling sharp pain one feels as the blood tried to move through your frozen limbs caused her to fall back to the ground. Instead of fighting her body, which was a losing battle, Kagome just remained in her position waiting for the numbness to leave her.

While lying there she thought about her life so far, the first fourteen years of her life were rather normal she was a good girl, always obeyed her mother, and had good grades. Then when she turned fifteen her life was flipped upside down with demons, jewel shards, time traveling and one half demon with an attitude problem. Now at seventeen her life, bond with Inuyasha and future were over… what was the point really?

'_Why? Why is this happening to me? Did I not do was right, yes Naraku got the whole jewel for a bit but he was stopped and the jewel is now gone from this world… so why now are we being punished?'_ Kagome wanted to find someone to blame all her pain on because not doing so was killing her; but right now she was just too tired from stress to find someone to blame.

She realized the longer she laid in the snow the warmer she was becoming; her legs were still refusing to obey her so she stopped fighting that too. _'I don't see why Keade-sama was so worried about me staying out here for long it's gotten quite warmer in the last hour or so. Maybe I'll stay here a little longer; I can see why Inuyasha likes to be outside so much now… it's so peaceful.'_ A smile crept on to Kagome's ice blue lips thinking about her mate; her eyes closed to a peaceful image of Inuyasha in his robe of the fire rat, that soft smile only she would ever see on his lips… back when their lives were happy.

* * *

Unknown to Kagome after Inuyasha had delivered both packages to Keade's hut he didn't return to his hut; he hadn't been there since the night Kagome and he talked he just couldn't stay there without his mate. So he found himself wondering the forest surrounding the village; every few hours he would sneak to the other side of the village to monitor Yukio's group.

With most of them coming from the southern part of the country they weren't that accustom to the large amount of snow the northern lands could get at times. What unsettled Inuyasha more than them being there was the fact that several of the villagers, who weren't fans of his, were spending more time with the travelers than they should; they were giving them supplies such as blankets and food as well. Inuyasha feared they would be joining the group and revealing secrets they had; the dog demon would have to have a talk with Hisashi about this.

But after watching them all day he was certain they wouldn't be making any major moves upon the village until after the snowing season; but that didn't mean they wouldn't be planning things so he was always on his guard.

Right now though he was sitting in one of the trees in his forest, he wanted to be alone to think of how he would fix the problem between him and his mate. From hearing Kagome's conversation with Sango the other night he knew she wanted to let him go and find a woman who could give him a family; but what she didn't understand was that he couldn't live without her. She was his world and if she left he would die; he didn't need pups to be happy… he just needed her.

While he was thinking this over his delicate yet feral animal ears picked up someone's feet softly crunching the freshly fallen snow; confirming whoever it was was heading his way, Inuyasha's head shot up as his sharp gold eyes glowed in the dark night while he searched for the intruder.

'_Who the hell would be stupid enough to come all the way out here in this weather?'_ He was certain it couldn't be a wolf demon because they all had left the other night before the snow started; Koga wanted to be with Ayame and their pup before the mountain passes were blocked with snow. But Inuyasha wasn't sure if Nobuo had gone with them; he still has not met the wolf his mate had befriended and after speaking with Koga before they left, he too hadn't seen the older wolf in some time.

The footsteps stopped not far from the tree Inuyasha was sitting in; his eyes darted around frantically in search of the mysterious person, with the snow that fell and now began to fall the dog demon's nose was practically useless with all the snow. Since he couldn't locate his guest a warning growl erupted from his chest telling whoever it was that he wasn't a weak demon that could be taken down easily.

"Why are you hiding in a tree when you have a human dwelling to remain in at night? You are the heir to the west… you should start acting like one."

Hearing the snobbish voice of his older brother cutting through the air caused Inuyasha to pin his ears to his head and a deep growl of hatred to leave his lips; he jumped down from the tree to see Sesshomaru standing a few feet away. "What the hell do you want now; and since when do you care where I stay for the night?" Inuyasha leaned up against the tree patiently waiting for the other demon to answer.

"I do not care about your where a bouts I merely do not understand why you choose to hide in a tree when you are neither bird nor feline."

Inuyasha growled not liking to be grouped with many cats but he brushed the comment off, "It's none of your business as to why I was in the tree… as a matter of fact I'm not telling you anything that involves my life ever again!"

Sesshomaru didn't seem hurt by this news as his stoic expression didn't even change. "That is best since this Sesshomaru has never wished to know about what your human and you do," the dog demon crinkled his pointed nose at the memory of a few days ago when he was assaulted yet again by his brother and mate's romping.

"Hey you're the one that has been coming to my hut unnoticed so what we're doing before you show up ain't our fault!"

"Hn… I do not care to announce when I will need to speak with you."

"Whatever Sesshomaru, and next time you have something to give the girl deliver it yourself… I ain't a messenger dog."

"While the human group is near the village I will not go to the priestess' hut; it is bad enough you showed yourself to them the second you got arrived. I will keep the element of surprise on my side… Rin understands; why is your human staying at the priestess' hut?" Sesshomaru was generally perplexed by human females, their emotions are hard to control and apparently during the winter they want to stay away from their mates even though males are the sole provider of meat during this time.

"That's your fault! The last night you came to my hut and proceeded to tell me that the human fertility potion wouldn't work Kagome heard you! She has been living at the old woman's hut since because she thinks she can't give me pups!" Inuyasha vented all his anger out on his brother even though it really wasn't Sesshomaru's fault; Inuyasha knew he should have told Kagome what he was doing but he kept it a secret and was now suffering the consequences … and a slight headache. The pain started between his eyes and all he wanted to do was go back to his quiet tree branch; in order to do that faster he would need to get to the bottom of why Sesshomaru had come to him. "Was there a reason you came out here other than to question me about my tree climbing habits; because if not I'm going back up there and don't want you bothering me again."

Inuyasha turned and was going to jump back to the branch he was on but Sesshomaru spoke again. "You are neglected your responsibility in not watching the village; in doing so I have to take the position upon myself. I found Rin wondering in the snow looking for your human; apparently she left some time ago before the last snow fall and hadn't returned. I sent her back to the hut because I will not have her falling ill."

"Wait Kagome left the hut and is missing!" Inuyasha stopped listening the minute he found out his mate had been out in this weather for possibly over a few hours. _'She's out in the snow, what is she doing walking around in this weather… is she looking for me; if she went home I wouldn't be there. But if Rin was looking for her then she would have been going back to Keade's; what if… what if she bumped into that human!'_ The thought of Kagome being trapped by Masanori again enraged Inuyasha; without waiting for his brother to speak again the demon took off towards the village, kicking up snow in his haste to reach his mate quicker.

The snow fall picked up as Inuyasha got into the village which meant all the foot prints were completely covered over with fresh snow by now. Trying to find Kagome by scent was useless too so all he had to go on was his sight though that was severely disabled as well. _'Damn it I swear that woman likes when it's hard for me to search for her; why did she leave during a damn near blizzard.'_

Inuyasha already checked his own hut and was now in a blind panic when he stopped by Keade's hut and found that Kagome hadn't returned there on her own. He scoured the village in search of his mate; it was growing darker and colder the longer he looked and it was even starting to affect him and if he could feel it now than a human would die out in these conditions if they stayed out here for long.

The storm picked up and Inuyasha was being forced to call it a night he wouldn't be able to rest until he found Kagome and when the storm calmed down some he would be out searching for her. He was perched on top of the Torii in front of the shrine looking down at the rest of the town trying to pick up any sign of his mate. With a sigh he prepared to jump down and head home when something caught his attention; out of the corner of his eye he spotted Kikyo's grave covered in snow.

His heart clenched for a whole different reason than before when seeing the stone. When she was laid to rest for the last time he vowed to visit her grave often and every few days he would come up to the shrine and pay his respects; but over the last several months with him being in the west he couldn't and she wasn't even a thought in his mind till this very moment.

'_Kikyo, please forgive me for asking this when I have not visit you in some time but… please watch over Kagome for me; protect her until I can find her… I can't lose her.'_ A heavy gust of wind pushed Inuyasha's thick white mane into his face blocking his view of the court yard; pushing his hair away he prepared to jump again and head home but something in front of Kikyo's tombstone stopped him.

When he was looking before he noticed a large snow mound right before it. It wasn't uncommon to see large piles of snow during a storm but when the wind blew it pushed the top layer of this particular dune away revealing something red underneath. His brain, though half frozen, immediately clicked as to where those red pants had been seen before… and who was wearing them. "K… KAGOME!"

* * *

**Note: This came out a lot earlier than I planned but I had time to write it... most of my stuff for school is nearly finished so that means more chapters faster! I wanted to have this chapter cover the whole winter season for the group but I changed it last minute. Will Kagome survive, and will she and Inuyasha get back together?**

**Torii- Red wooden arch in front of Shinto shrines  
Yukata- Light summer type of kimono  
Komon- Type of kimono that both married and single woman can wear**

**Thanks to:  
**CherryBlossom7w7  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
edasama  
corincat331  
Msmes  
xxdarienchibaloverxx  
luis1113  
90210flordelmar  
Priss-hanyo  
KairiAngel13  
HopelessRomantic183**(love the long review!)**  
mangamichelle12  
sexyinnocents  
**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up!**

**Happy Thanksgiving!**


	21. Visitor in thy dreams

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that good stuff

* * *

Another's presence at her side is what stirred Kagome from her slumber; she was having such a nice dream that she didn't want to be disturbed and whoever was there needed to leave. She turned over on her side expecting to tangle herself in the bedding on her futon; but then she remembered that she hadn't fallen asleep in her warm bed in the hut her mate had built.

'_That's right… I decided to take a short nap outside in the shrine court yard.'_ Kagome pushed the thought from her mind not wanting to remember what exactly she was doing before falling asleep.

"Will you continue to sleep? I thought you wished to speak to me?" A young man's voice both confused and scared her; who could the boy be and why was he hovering and talking to her.

Kagome rolled over on to her back again and it now dawned on her that the ground was no longer hard, cold, and covered in snow; her clothes weren't wet from the melted snow… she actually felt rather comfortable. Finally she decided, since the boy was not leaving, to open her eyes and confront him; but when her eyes adjusted to the strange bright light she knew something was extremely wrong when her gaze locked with the boy's golden one.

Her groggy mind came to and she sat up quickly releasing who she was staring at; she turned to face him fully as she sat cross legged in front of her waiting patiently for her to speak. "How… how are you here, you can't be here… oh god… have I died?" She now realized how dumb it was on her part to fall asleep in the snow.

The young boy gave a gentle smile to ease her worry, "You are not dead but why were you out in that weather… do you wish to be sick?" He tilted his head his long black bangs shifting with the motion of his head.

Kagome bowed her head to try and stop the tears from falling, "No… no I wasn't trying to get sick; I'm just having a hard time right now… a lot has happened since you left." Kagome raised her head again to put the boy's image to memory because this may very well be the last time she saw her oldest child.

Inu watched his mother observe him, there was something on her mind that was upsetting her and he would find out what. "Father took you as his mate yes; and he has become a full demon… everything is as it should be yet you seem upset; has father upset you in some way?"

"What no! No Inuyasha hasn't done anything wrong… it is me."

Again Inu tilted his head trying to process what actually his mother was trying to tell him. "I do not understand mother; how are you to blame?"

Kagome blushed at what she was about to say… this was her son after all, "We… we've been trying to have… you and we found out that I have become barren, most likely from Naraku's miasma during the final battle; I cannot have children… I left Inuyasha because I couldn't bear to see how upset he would be with me as his mate." Tears began to flow once more… Kagome was so tired of crying she just wished she could be a stronger person; she felt the boy across from her move and she jumped when his hand caressed her face, his thumb brushed away a tear sliding down her cheek.

"Barren… mother you are not barren; the miasma Naraku had poisoned you with I removed and all of its damage as well."

Kagome looked into her son's eyes and could see what he said was true, "I'm not barren… I can give Inuyasha children… but then why… why haven't I become pregnant?"

Inu smiled, looking so much like his father, and then he pulled her into a strong embrace, "You are not with child yet because it is not time… have patience mother it will happen when you least expect," He gently nuzzled his nose against her cheek in comforting gesture to soothe her worry.

'_Have patience… it's not time yet?'_ Kagome ran her boy's words back through her mind while she laid in his arms; just his embrace seemed to calm her frazzled brain and helped her think more clearly. She was able to remember a moment in time years ago when her mother had a few friends over for tea; they had been talking about children and her mother had said how hard it was for her to have Sota. Apparently Kagome's parents had been trying to have another child since Kagome was two; it hadn't worked out and they had just given up, come to find out just after Kagome turned six her mother found out she was pregnant. At the time her mother was talking about this Kagome was still a little girl and wasn't interested in what the adult women were talking about; not that she was older all that stuff made sense now. _'Inuyasha may be trying too hard to get me pregnant… I have to believe Inu when he says that it's not time; which means I can go home and be with Inuyasha again.'_ The excitement of seeing her mate again warmed Kagome's very soul… she felt like a great weight had been lifted from her.

"Oh Inu, thank you… thank you," her grip on him tightened and he responded by a light purring again… which meant it was time to say goodbye once more.

"Mother, it is time for you to return."

Kagome pulled away from the boy at his statement, before she could voice her confusion she realized the bright white landscape they had been in this whole time was now becoming fuzzy to her eyes. She frantically began to rub her eyes to rid the blurriness but when she opened them again it was only worse… Inu was starting to fade away. "Inu... what do you mean return… where are you going!" She cried in panic reaching out to him but her fingers went right through his transparent figure.

"I am going home mother… and you are returning to father."

"No Inu please don't go… please don't leave… Inu!" The boy completely faded away and the light disappeared with him as well, Kagome was left in the darkness of her mind; yes she now realized this was all a dream do to her falling unconscious in the snow. She couldn't do anything now but sit and wait for someone to find her.

Kagome didn't know how long she sat there, since there was no sense of time, she was just about to give up hope that anyone, let alone Inuyasha would find her; but then she felt something warm slowly approaching her from behind.

'Kagome.'

Kagome sat up straighter when she heard that familiar voice; it warmed her more and melted the numbness that took hold of her body. She turned toward the voice and saw through the darkness a speck of light shining.

'Kagome.'

The light pulsed and grew when the person called her name as if waiting for her response.

'Kagome.'

"Yes I'm here… I'm here!" The light flickered more violently when she spoke almost like her voice was the key to unlocking it fully.

'Kagome!'

The voice was more determined like it was encouraging her to call out again. "I'm here… I'm here Inuyasha!" Her mate's name was the key because the second it left her lips the light rushed forward and engulfed her in its warm glow; several emotions passed through her and she wasn't sure who's they were but thing rang out true over all… Inuyasha was there and calling to her.

* * *

Inuyasha's heart stopped the moment he spotted his mate lying in the snow pile in front of Kikyo's grave; everything was a bit of a blur after that, the only thing on his mind was saving Kagome. He jumped down from the Torii and raced over to her still body, carefully and mindful of his claws he dug her out of the snow like a rescue dog would an avalanche victim.

Pulling her into his arms Inuyasha ripped off his haori and wrapped her tightly in it; trying to ignore her blue lips or the cold feeling of her skin in his embrace he dashed down the shrine's steps, running faster than he ever has before to get to Keade's hut.

The elderly woman had forced herself to stay awake until Kagome returned to the hut, several hours before Rin had gone out in search of the girl when she didn't come back like she was told. Rin came back a few minutes later and told Keade that Sesshomaru ordered her back to the safety of the hut and that he would search for his brother's human; but that was a few hours ago and still now news. She did not wish for the child to become sick with worry so she sent Rin to bed; and it was a good thing she did because an hour before the sun was to rise Inuyasha came barging into the hut with an unconscious barely breathing Kagome.

"Baba please help!"

Inuyasha's frantic plea jump started the old woman into action. "Quickly Inuyasha, place her on the sleeping mat close to the fire." Keade put the pot that she used for tea earlier back on the fire, "Where was it that ye found her?"

"She was at the shrine by Kikyo's grave, she must have fallen asleep and the snow began to cover her; if the wind hadn't blown I would never have…" Inuyasha couldn't finish his thought but if he had left when he was going to he would have never seen her and Kagome would have frozen to death.

The demon pushed all those thoughts from his mind and focused on getting his mate warmed up; after taking off his haori, which was now soaked through, Kagome began to shiver violently… all of her clothes were drenched and they needed to come off as well.

"She will not get better with those wet clothes on; please go outside so I may tend to her Inuyasha," Keade stepped forward and reached out to the young girl but was stopped by the vicious growl that left the man's lips.

Seeing his mate in the state she was in caused his demon to howl in despair and just the thought of having to leave her now angered him greatly, "I will do no such thing old woman; as her mate I've seen her body countless times… I will remain and tend to her."

Keade could hear the darker timber in his voice and saw the pink tint to his eyes when he glared at her; she stepped back to the fire as to not anger him farther. "Very well Inuyasha, but ye need to be careful when removing her robes; the combination of freezing winds and water could have caused the cloth to stick to her delicate skin." She went to pull the pot of water from the fire to allow it to cool some before dipping pieces of cloth into it to make warm rags to lay on the girl's outer extremities to warm her faster.

Once he was certain that the old priestess wasn't going to try and shoo him out again Inuyasha returned to focus on helping his mate out of her wet clothes; taking Keade's words into mind he was very careful when removing her robes. With just her bra and panties on, Kagome's shivering increased violently so much so that he had to be patient when trying to remove her undergarments; they were soaked as well and pulled at her skin causing red welts to form on her body.

'_Mate, I'm sorry… I should have been outside the hut when you went out; but why did you go… why didn't you come back when you got cold?'_ Inuyasha didn't want to think she was trying to kill herself because she wouldn't; she wouldn't be that upset about not having pups that she would try to end her life… would she? "Kagome."

"Inuyasha, now is not the time to feel sorry for yeself we must get her warm before she succumbs to the cold," Keade approached with the rags and a thick blanket, "The fastest way to warm her is with ye own body heat so remove ye clothing and get wrapped in the blanket while I do this." She turned away to give him privacy to disrobe and she gently placed the rags on Kagome's arms and legs to help the blood return to her limbs.

Inuyasha quickly removed his clothes not in the least bit worry if the old woman saw his bare ass; but the chill prevented him from staying in that state for long so he wrapped up in the blanket and moved to his mate's side. Keade moved away again letting him get comfortable next to Kagome; he spread the blanket over her and pulled her body closer to his. He gave a slight shiver himself when both her body and the fast cooling rags touched his naked body but he ignored the discomfort; he was the only direct source of heat Kagome had at the moment and he wasn't going to move away because he was uncomfortable.

"Why was Kagome not in your hut like she was supposed to be Baba?" Inuyasha, now that Kagome was securely in his arms and the color was returning to her cheeks, was able to focus on why his mate was out in this weather; Keade being the only one in the room awake was the only one he could get answers from.

"Kagome had become upset after opening the package I believe you sent; she wished to take a short walk and I asked that she not stay out long do to the coming snow… I do not know what kept her," the priestess began to clean up the water and gathered Kagome's wet clothes to be hung up to dry; Inuyasha didn't miss how slow the woman was walking or the extra bags under her eyes from being awake nearly a full day.

"Baba… go lay down, I'll watch over Kagome."

"Ah Inuyasha, I will do just that; wake me if she breaks out into a fever," with those instructions she bid him good night and entered the back sleeping room; with the weather only to get worse no one will come to the hut unless it's an emergency so Keade was certain she could rest for most of the day.

Once alone with his thoughts Inuyasha couldn't push the guilt he was feeling over Kagome's condition out of his mind; he drew her closer to his lean frame and buried his nose into her neck. He was relieved that her scent held no sickness to it and he hoped she would wake soon; though now he would enjoy the time he had being able to hold her like he used to, he knew when she woke Kagome wouldn't want him near her again which drew a whine from his lips.

"Kagome… I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I put you through, I'm sorry for ripping you away from your time and all those there that loved you. I'm sorry for how I treated you our first year during the journey… I'm sorry for the names I called you and the danger you were in. I'm sorry for hurting you every time I ran off to see Kikyo; I'm sorry it took your near death to realize how much I love you. I'm sorry our first year as mates had my away from you more than I should have allowed it… and I'm sorry that I don't know why I can't give you the pups we both want; it's not your fault Kagome believe me and I'm not mad at you for anything. I'm mad at myself that you are in this pain that I can't stop… I'm so sorry," Inuyasha's ears drooped as he tried to seek comfort from the woman lying next to him… but he got no response for his effort.

* * *

Three days… three days and not one thing changed; Kagome didn't move or even wake since Inuyasha brought her back to the hut. The morning after they found her Kagome had a major setback when she spiked a fever around lunch time; she was delirious and mumbling in her sleep and her body was so over heated that Inuyasha had to make several trips outside to gather packed snow to place around his mate to cool her down.

Inuyasha was in a full blown panic while Keade tried to help Kagome and Rin had to take him outside to calm him; he took off for a few hours into the forest to sulk and clear his mind. When he returned that night Kagome's fever broke but she has not stirred since then… now two days later he was going out of his mind with worry.

"Kagome… what is keeping you from me?"

"Her body is trying to heal from the fever Inuyasha, when that is over then she will wake," Keade spoke up from her position by the fire; though from the annoyed look on the demon's face he didn't want to hear anyone's excuse for why his mate wasn't waking up.

"Look Baba, I don't care why she's not waking up but you should be making some sort of remedy to help her heal faster!"

"Forcing the body to heal faster will not help her wake… ye must give it time."

Inuyasha was tired of hearing people tell him to be patient; he was not a patient demon and he wanted his mate to be alright now and open her damn eyes! He was focused on trying to find a way to get Kagome to wake up that he missed when she began to toss and turn under the blanket… Rin noticed though.

"Inuyasha-sama, she's moving!" The little girl got up and moved over to where the couple were bringing a cup of water incase Kagome requested it.

"Mate… Kagome… are you alright?" Inuyasha hoped she would wake but she just continued to shift restlessly in her sleep; he had to physically hold her down when she began to fight the blanket like it was her greatest enemy. "Kagome stop fighting you're safe… Kagome can you hear me?"

"Inu… Inu."

"Yes Kagome… what is it?" Tears began to streak down her cheeks from her closed eyes.

"Inu… don't go… please. Please… don't go."

Inuyasha's stomach plummeted when he realized what she was talking about,_ 'Inu… why is she dreaming about the pup?'_ Finally she stopped moving and her tears seemed to stop as well. "Kagome," Inuyasha gently caressed her cheek with his knuckle; he was pleased when she turned into his touch. "Kagome."

"Inu… yasha."

His heart leapt with joy when she called his name; she both was aware that he was at her side and she seemed to be waking finally… if he had a tail it would be wagging right about now. "Yeah Kagome, it's me… I'm right here."

"Inuyasha." Kagome's eyes fluttered for a second before opening slightly to look up at her mate, "Inuyasha?"

"Kagome-sama, you're okay! Keade-sama, she's awake!" Rin jumped up in excitement and ran back over to the old woman.

"Aye child that she has, come let us leave them be for now; it has stopped snowing and we should see how Sango and the babes are doing," Keade stood, gathered a few things and she and Rin left the hut to give the couple privacy to talk. Once alone Inuyasha was able to relax a little more without having people staring at him.

"Inuyasha… what are you doing here… are we still outside?" When Kagome heard him in her mind she wasn't expecting to wake up with Inuyasha hovering over her.

"No we're not outside, I found you in a snow pile near the shrine… what were you doing out there?" Inuyasha didn't want to yell at her for what happened or how worried he had been for the last three days; but he was calm and was determined to help her in any way he could.

Kagome knew she couldn't ignore his question, "I needed to go for a walk… just to breath; I stayed out too long and must have fallen asleep," she pushed away the heavy blanket lying a top her because she was getting over heated; she then pushed herself up to sit upright, her body stiff from laying still for so long.

Inuyasha watched carefully as she moved about, once she seemed comfortable he went to retrieve the stew Keade had made for lunch and gave her a bowl… she might not be ready to eat at the moment but at least she had it.

"Kagome, do you realize how dangerous that was… if I hadn't found you… you could have died," Inuyasha reached over to touch her hand, he was expecting her to flinch away like she did that night over a week ago; but again he was surprised that she not only let him touch her but she actually grabbed on to his hand and held it.

"I'm sorry Inuyasha; I didn't mean to worry you or anyone else for that matter. It was stupid to go out in the storm," Kagome bowed her head ashamed of her actions and not taking into account of others that could worry about her. She was surprised when two strong arms wrapped around her middle and pulled her from the futon into a strong chest; she felt Inuyasha's nose bury into her neck as he breathed in deeply, a content purr rippled from his chest.

"Just promise you won't do it again… I don't want to lose you."

The couple sat quietly enjoying each other's company; Kagome sat in Inuyasha's lap eating the meal he provided for her and the dog demon himself was basking in the warmth his small mate was giving off in his embrace.

"Kagome, while you were asleep you seemed to be having a nightmare… you were calling Inu's name. I know what we talked about has been on your mind lately but I promise you I will find out what is stopping us from-."

"Nothing is stopping us," Kagome couldn't have the man she loved blaming himself for something that wasn't his fault.

"What? Kagome what are you talking about?" Inuyasha released his grip to allow Kagome to turn in his lap to face him.

"The dream I had… it wasn't a nightmare, Inu came to me and told me everything was okay," Seeing the confusion on her demon's face caused her to giggle, "He said I wasn't barren… we just need to be patient." Reaching up towards him Kagome began tracing the marks on Inuyasha's cheeks before tangling her fingers in his silky hair. "Apparently you're trying too hard to get my pregnant; we just have to let it happen when it happens."

Inuyasha frowned, slightly offended by her statement, mostly because she was probably right… he had been trying to get her pregnant every chance he could get. It was the pressure, all the males he knew had already given their women children and he felt that he wasn't being a good mate for Kagome. "Okay… if you think we should give it a rest for a while; I just wanted to make you happy… I've seen the way you've been looking at Miroku's girls and I thought I should be trying harder since I've been gone so often."

Kagome felt his shoulders slump and she immediately kissed the tip of his nose and nuzzled his cheek in comfort. "You do make me happy Inuyasha and I'm sorry if I don't tell you that as much as I should; I'm guilty of having 'baby on the brain' since everyone is having one. But I realize that just because I want one doesn't mean we should have one right now… with Yukio and his people in the village having me pregnant right now wouldn't be good." Kagome couldn't get Nobuo's story about his mate's death out of her mind… she didn't want to end up like Emi.

Inuyasha released a deep sign relieved to hear that his mate was happy with him, "You have no idea how glad I am to hear that mate… so for now we put pup making on hold."

"Well… I wouldn't say pup making on hold after all… love making doesn't always result in creating life." Inuyasha really liked the smirk that came to Kagome's face and the glazed over look of lust in her eyes; his mate was back to her old self and he was one happy puppy.

* * *

**Note: So I hope everyone is happy to learn that Kagome isn't barren... yay! Many were wondering who was visiting from Seeking power and I'm not sure if anyone guessed Inu but that's who it was; he came to help his mommy in her time of need. And in case anyone is confused the whole first scene with Kagome in her dream that all lasted the three days she was unconscious and it all meets up in the third part when she wakes up... if that doesn't confuse you anymore good! But now everything will be getting back to normal... I'm thinking of just adding a fluff chapter for the next one, I need atleast one more before the spring and Yukio's group comes back into the picture... I'm drawing a blank on what to write though so it may take a while.**

**Thanks to:  
**Inunette  
CherryBlossom7w7  
Ldsprincess **(I missed you!)**  
KairiAngel13  
edasama  
corincat331  
Priss-hanyo  
sexyinnocents  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
mangamichelle12  
Elantina  
**For reviewing... lov'em, keep it up!**


	22. Death in winter:secret revealed

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that good stuff

* * *

'_Where are they… they've been gone for two days already, oh why did Inuyasha agree to Miroku's insane idea; I swear those two are always in trouble when Sango and I aren't with them.'_ Kagome once again stood from the fire that warmed her hut to go to the door and gaze out into the white wonderland in search of her mate.

Two days previously while the couple was sitting down to a breakfast of rice and grilled deer meat is when Miroku came knocking at the door with his latest scam.

"You want to what? Leave the village now with the weather we've had… you won't last a day on the road when the temperature goes down again; it's also going to snow again and we may get stuck at the village." Inuyasha was not in the least but pleased to hear his friend's idea, leaving the village now was dangerous for humans; but apparently Miroku already had everything planned out.

"Inuyasha, you don't understand I must go… the babies take much to be cared for and we are in need of supplies; Kirara has also become restless during this time so she has agreed to go with us. That will both keep me off the ground and you can run faster."

Kagome frowned at Miroku's plan, yes he might have good intentions but they were over looked by the fact that he would be leaving Sango alone with two one month old babies.

"What are you talking about monk, you have enough money to supply several families for years; you're probably richer than most the human lords in the area. And if you're worried about the food shortage I can get plenty of meat and fish for every member of the pack till the spring comes," Inuyasha felt his point had been made clear; but Miroku didn't see it that way.

"Inuyasha my hut is crowded and I wish to stretch my legs a little."

"And while you're out and about you're going to leave Sango alone with the babies?" Kagome couldn't be silent anymore and both men cringed at her accusing and angry tone.

"Kagome, I would never leave my dear wife with all that work; we wouldn't be gone long and Kohaku is staying with her."

"Kohaku is but a boy and not ready to care for children and they are not even his anyway."

Miroku was going to defend himself but the shaking head of his demon friend halted his words; Inuyasha knew the mood his mate was in and there was no chance the monk would win this fight. "Kagome, I do not wish to leave Sango for long… only a short time to help a poor village with their demon problem."

It was a dirty trick to pull at Kagome's kind heart strings; Inuyasha knew she would never let innocent people suffer a demon's wrath… which meant he and Miroku would be leaving the village that day. "Alright monk fine we'll go but don't try to guilt my mate again." Inuyasha kissed his woman goodbye assuring her they would be home within the next day; and then he dragged the monk out the door to keep to his word.

But that was two days ago and Kagome was worried about what kept them. It was now the middle of winter and the storms were more intense than ever barely giving the frozen earth time to thaw as a fresh foot of snow would be set upon it. Kagome hoped both men were alright and it was only this latest storm that kept them away that night.

"Inuyasha, please come home soon."

Later that night Kagome was sitting by the fire making a few last minute touches to the gifts she was stitching up for her friends; with all the commotion that happened at the being of the season Kagome completely forgot about the holiday that was fast approaching.

Christmas wasn't a wide spread holiday in either the past or the future; Kagome's family had exchanged gifts ever since she was a little girl and she brought that tradition to her friends in the feudal era nearly three years ago. At first the others were confused by the generosity and even wished to repay her which she flat out refused saying that their happiness was her gift. She was quite surprised that last year while they were all settling into their huts that Sango had given her a small dagger she had forged from a demon's rib; Inuyasha was away in the west a lot and the demon slayer wanted her friend to be safe while alone in her hut.

Kagome was finishing up the quilt she had made for Sango and the babies; she had used different pieces of cloth to create designs that would amuse the girls while they would be wrapped up in it during cold nights. She looked over to the two parcels she had wrapped moments before; she had knitted both Miroku and Inuyasha scarves to use when they were out on their many trips… Inuyasha may not need it because of his demon blood but he would still wear it to humor her. She had some candies that she had Inuyasha pick up at the next village over for Shippo when he planned to return from his yearly vacation; and she had started the small vest for Kirara when she was in her kitten form and the gloves and hat for Kohaku. She was very proud of her work, having spent the last two years honing her sewing skills; she might not be as good as the other women in the village since they have been doing it for most of their lives but Kagome was certain she would have made her mother proud. Thinking about her family in the future put a little damper on her holiday spirit but she quickly pushed it away not wanting to be sad during this happy time.

She was so lost in her thoughts she missed the demonic presence that descended upon the hut; she didn't notice anything was off until she felt the demon's arms wrap around her torso, she would have screamed and tried to purify the intruder had he not spoken at the last second.

"How many times have I told you to latch the door when I'm gone… what else did I build it for if you aren't going to use it to protect yourself mate?"

"Oh Inuyasha, you scared me do you realize I almost purified you!" Kagome relaxed into her mate's embrace happy that he returned safely.

"Well you should be more aware of your surroundings woman… have our journeys while hunting Naraku meant nothing?"

Kagome placed her sewing down as Inuyasha drew her into his arms as he stood and walked to their bedroom. "I guess you have spoiled me with your protection all these years. Was it the storm that kept you later?" She smiled when Inuyasha placed her on their futon that she unfolded earlier to prepare for bed; she watched, with a smile on her face, as Inuyasha walked over to the chest in the corner of the room and began to undress… she always did enjoy when he would change into his sleeping clothes in front of her.

"No it wasn't the storm that kept us, Miroku got side track with finding a gift for Sango for your 'Christmas' thing; I wished to be home yesterday but he insisted and I couldn't very well leave him there."

Kagome rolled her eyes knowing Inuyasha's annoyance was pretend; the dog demon loved the idea of giving gifts because he could spoil his mate at this time of year… it wouldn't surprise Kagome if he got something at the village like Miroku did. "He had a lot to be thankful for and Sango deserves to be pampered for what she had to go through," she giggled as she saw the playful glint in her mate's eye while he slowly crawled up the futon till he was practically laying on the lower half of her body; their faces were inches apart and Kagome lost herself in his eyes.

"You deserve to be pampered too mate," Inuyasha leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers' before pulling her into his embrace and laid them down on the bed; Kagome snuggled into his chest relieved that he was home safely.

* * *

Masanori hated snow, he was born and raised in the southern part of the country; yes it snowed there but not nearly as much as it had in the last moon or so. The people in their group could not handle the harsh temperatures and many were becoming sick with fever… one had already died. And that was why Masanori was trudging through the snow up to Yukio's tent; the leader and his master had for bid anyone from going into the village unless when food was being handed out.

Many men were too ill to travel anymore and they needed help from the old priestess in the village if they wished to survive to the spring; but he would have to gain Yukio's permission to go into the village and retrieve her.

"Yukio-sama… may I speak with you?" Masanori peeked inside the massive tent in search of his master who was sitting next to a great fire appearing to be in a deep mediation.

"Come inside Masanori you're allowing the cold air to seep in," Yukio's voice sounded annoyed, most likely because he didn't want to be disturbed by anyone and that included his apprentice.

"Master I apologize for interrupting you but it is urgent," Masanori quickly shut the tent flap to keep the cold air away and approached the fire to warm himself and speak with Yukio.

Not wanting the younger man to realize how annoyed he was at being disturbed this late at night while he was trying to relax, Yukio released a deep calming breath and opened his eyes to meet Masanori's worrisome gaze, " What is it Masanori, why are you here at this late hour?"

"Yukio-sama, we are in great trouble; half of our men have come down with fever, one has already passed on, if we do not get them treatment the rest will not make it to the spring."

"And what do you suggest we do Masanori, it is clearly the kami will that we suffer through these harsh times… it will only make us stronger in the end," Yukio busied himself with making a cup of tea while trying to explain to his subordinate the kami's will.

"My lord please we must seek treatment from the village to help them; the elderly priestess is quite skilled I'm sure she could help-."

"Why not Kagome-sama, I am certain she would be just as skilled as the elder Keade; and she would be able to come to our encampment, wouldn't that make more logical sense than moving many sick men to her?"

"K-Kagome-sama?" Masanori paled thinking about the last encounter he had with the young woman… the beast's angry golden eyes still haunted him at night.

"Yes the girl… is there a problem with seeing her Masanori?" Yukio observed his student carefully while he answered the question… something was off with the boy and that girl was the source of it.

"Um, no of course not my lord, there would be no problem seeing her I suppose but…" Masanori panicked seeing as he had yet to figure out how to tell his master about the demon that was controlling his precious Kagome.

"But what Masanori?"

Before the younger man could answer, which would have resulted in him lying to his sensei, one of the guards that was in charge of protecting their settlement came storming through the tent entrance followed by Chieko closely behind. "My lord! Yukio-sama!"

"What… what is the meaning of barging in here without my permission!"

The solider kneeled, bowing his head to show his respect towards his leader, "With all respect my lord I did not mean to intrude but the men that were sent to gather the nightly rash-ins… they were killed my lord."

The man's news shocked both teacher and apprentice, "What! How is that possible; was it the villagers? Have they decided to defy the kami's wishes and rebel against us?" Yukio was outraged at the thought of the villagers now becoming selfish and keeping the stored food for themselves when it rightfully belonged to those that were protecting the village from demons.

Chieko saw her lord jumping to conclusions since he wasn't present at the scene they found; she felt she had the right to correct him on this matter. "My lord, I do not think it was the villagers; the men were attacked by a demon as the bodies were ripped apart clearly by claws."

'_Claws!'_ Masanori looked to his master in a panic, he immediately thought of the silver haired demon that had Kagome in his grasp; maybe the beast got wind that he wasn't the only one near the village and he killed the men to send a message. _'This could work to my advantage though, if he is the one killing then Yukio would stop at nothing to kill him. I could tell him that the monster is holding Kagome against her will; Yukio will be so focused on purifying the demon that he will not suspect a thing… the demon will be dead and Kagome will be mine.'_ "My lord, could it possibly be the demon I spoke of a moon previously?"

Yukio glared into the fire having forgotten about the demon his pupil mentioned; apparently the girl had not purified the beast like he had hoped… could Chieko have been right that Kagome has sympathy for those disgraceful creatures. "It appears Kagome-sama did not dispose of the demon as we hoped… maybe she-."

"Lady Kagome has nothing to do with any demons my lord! She is too pure and innocent to be siding with those vile beasts!" Masanori glared just replaying the image in his head of Kagome wrapped in the demon's arms… it made him sick just thinking about it.

"Really my boy… you think she is as innocent as she appears; you should not be fooled by what seems to be pure… remember what happened the last time?"

"Yes of course my lord I do but lady Kagome is different, she was raised as a priestess and you have seen her power she is as pure as if she were a kami herself." Masanori defended Kagome's honor as if it were his own.

"You must not forget Masanori, though a priestess is born with the kami's blessing does not always mean they chose to use their powers for their intended purpose."

The boy looked to the only priestess in the room not believing the words that just left her mouth, "Do you suggest that lady Kagome has tainted her powers and has become a dark priestess; you saw as well as I did how clean her aura was when she saved me from that boar demon lady Chieko… she is not on their side."

Yukio watched his two most trusted subordinates stare off at each other; he needed to stop the fight he knew would be rising between them shortly, to have them at a disagreement would show the group's instability. He couldn't have them coming to odds with each other now, "Enough! Chieko-sama what have we disgust before about you speaking out of turn; we cannot judge Kagome-sama for something we do not know all the facts too. Calm yourself Masanori we will speak to the young woman and set everything straight; once we bring to her attention the brutal slayings of our comrades I am certain she will help us avenge the men and cleanse these lands of not only that demon… but all others."

* * *

A few days later brought another storm to the village and one crabby dog demon. According to Kagome's calendar and the position of the moon the night before, today was Christmas day; she was even more excited about the fact that it was snowing outside.

Inuyasha didn't see what the cause for celebration was really; it was snowing bug deal it snowed nearly every other day. "Kagome, what is the big deal about snow today?" He was leaning against the wall of the hut watching his mate finish collecting all the gifts she had; once they were in order she began the process of dressing warmly for their trip.

Ever since her scare a few weeks before Inuyasha has not let her out of the hut without checking to make sure she will be warm for how long the trip will be… in this case they were heading over to Sango and Miroku's hut for gift giving and a nice dinner of rabbit and fowl Inuyasha had caught.

"Inuyasha, snow on Christmas day is magical; when I was a child we prayed that if would snow on Christmas every year so we could go play in it while Mama made dinner. It may have snowed a small bit but never this much, it always looks so clean like it will purify the world… it also reminds me of you," Kagome smiled when she looked over to her love and saw a blush coating his cheeks; she didn't say anything knowing it would embarrass him more. She approached him and leaned forward to press a kiss to his neck; when she went to move away she wasn't surprised to feel his arms encircle her and pull her back toward his chest… they stood there a long time just enjoying each other's company.

"Inuyasha, we should get going… Sango needs me to help cook and we don't need Miroku's mind to wonder."

"Keh, that perv is beyond saving; you got to take a piss in the bushes and he thinks you're jacking off."

Kagome pushed back to stare at her mate like she's never seen him before, "Where did you learn that phrase?"

"From the magical box on the other side of the well one time while I was over why… did I use it incorrectly?"

"No… you used it for what it was intended but I don't ever want to hear it again," Kagome frowned before moving completely away to grab his fire rat haori; recently he had stopped wearing the robe in favor of the white haori Sesshomaru ordered him to wear while in the west. Inuyasha just got tired of hearing the dog complain so he started wearing it all the time; it worked best while hunting in the snow too because he was practically invisible… plus the fire robe was still put to good use while he wasn't wearing it. Since it was far warmer than any human made clothing Kagome wore the red haori like a coat when they went out in the snow.

"Keh, come on woman let's hurry up and get this day over with," Inuyasha double checked that Kagome was bundled up properly then gave her a small kiss on the forehead before going to pick up the packages they were bringing to their friends' hut.

Kagome rolled her eyes at her mate's moon once again; she wasn't going to let him ruin her holiday. She followed him out into the snow; once her feet touched the crunchy white powder Kagome bent down and grabbed a handful. Inuyasha, despite his superior hearing, never heard it coming so when the ball of snow collided with the back of his head and dripped down into his clothes he yelped out in shock… needless to say he was not as happy as Kagome seemed to be about it.

"Kagome, why are you acting in a childish manner; I think you've been around Shippo too long."

"If you must know Shippo has not returned since his last visit in the fall; and as for childish games I was only doing it to cool your hot temper before we get to our friends." Kagome giggled and picked up her pace toward Sango's hut leaving her mate standing in the snow confused.

Upon setting foot in her friend's hut Kagome immediately went to help Sango tend to the fowl that was slowly cooking over the fire; Miroku was at the shrine for morning pray so that left Inuyasha as the only male in the room for now. Sango had sent her brother to retrieve lady Keade for dinner; the elderly woman told them that she was too old to be out in such weather, the girls were heartbroken to hear this and so Kohaku was sent to help her over. Rin was already present at the hut tending to the babies while their mother and aunt prepared dinner.

Once the others returned to the hut Kagome jumped right into the gift giving mood; she handed out everyone's neatly wrapped gift and even smiled at the blush on her mate's face. "Oh Kagome-chan, you didn't have to get us anything," Sango opened up her present and smiled at the hand sown quilt her best friend made; her smile widened when she brought it over and wrapped her daughters in it, their tiny twin hands clutched the fabric like a life line and a content sigh left their lips as they rubbed their faces into the soft texture.

Kagome's eyes sparkled seeing the babies reaction to her gift, "It was nothing Sango really… they're so adorable!"

Everyone laughed as Kagome cooed over her nieces; she was content to know that she wasn't barren and could carry Inuyasha's child and right now she would let destiny run its course with gracing her with a child… but that didn't mean she couldn't spoil the babies in her life now. While the others opened their presents Kagome busied herself with making sure the meat on the fire didn't burn; the smells in the air were making the other people in the hit hungrier than earlier.

Inuyasha even after all these years was still not use to receiving gifts from people; he carefully unwrapped the package, mindful of his claws, and took the scarf into his hands. Kagome had knitted his scarf with very soft wool since she knew many fabrics agitated his skin; but this was almost like silk slipping through his fingers. The others all verbally thanked the young woman for her kindness, Inuyasha looked over to Kagome not surprised to see her staring right at him waiting for his reaction; she knew he rarely verbally expressed his gratitude but the small half crooked smile he gave her was enough to know he liked her gift… to see him so pleased was enough for her.

An hour later the sun was low in the sky Keade decided it was time she returned home; with Rin as her companion she thanked the girls for a wonderful dinner and the beautiful new shawl Kagome made her then they left. The younger members of the once jewel hunting group weren't ready to part yet so Miroku set a pot up for tea while the women each handled a baby; while waiting for the water to heat the men sat around the fire and talked… well Miroku talked and Inuyasha listened.

"You want to what? Now you've really lost it monk why the hell do you want to go all the way up there?"

"It's not that far Inuyasha really… it's not even near the border between the north and east and it could be a good score."

"Keh, you make it sound like I'm a con-artist monk; I'm not travelling that far north in this type of weather for a rumor of some demon in a lord's palace."

Miroku grabbed the pot of water off the fire and poured it into five cups placing two in front of his brother-in-law and friend leaving the last two in their places for when the girls came over. "You wound me my friend, a con-artist really? And this would not be in the winter of course it would be too difficult to travel then… I was aiming more towards the spring for this job."

Inuyasha looked over to his mate before answering this type of job would keep him away for at least a week and he wasn't sure if he was comfortable leaving her alone that long; he could feel it in his bones that something was going to happen soon.

"Inuyasha, honey are you okay?" Kagome caught him staring at her but when she smiled back she noticed that he had zoned out; his eyes were looking at her but he didn't really see her.

He didn't snap out of his thoughts until after she sat down next to him, "Keh… yeah I'm fine; I'll have to think about that trip monk… it's too early right now to decide," Inuyasha wrapped his arm around Kagome when she snuggled into his side for comfort.

"Very well Inuyasha just don't forget about how much money could be at stake here."

* * *

"So what was Miroku talking about while we were sitting there… not another trip I hope," Kagome keep a steady pace with her mate as they walked home that night; she pulled the fire rat haori closer to her body as it was much colder now that the sun had gone down.

Inuyasha wasn't effected by the drop in temperature but his doggy ears would twitch every once and a while when a snow flake would land on it; the snow was light but he still hurried along because he didn't want his mate to get sick. "Don't worry about it… he's a little stir crazy at the moment with being cooped up all the time with his mate and pups."

"He should be grateful actually; Sango told me that the girls sleep most of the night which is rare for twins as young as they are. But if there is a demon attacking you should go help anyway… maybe I could come with you; it's been rather quiet around here and I need something to do before I will have to help clear the fields in the spring."

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks when hearing what his mate wanted to do. "What? You can't come with us! We don't know what type of demon it is and I can't risk you getting hurt… no I won't allow you to go and besides I don't even know if I'm going so we will not discuss this now." Thinking that the conversation was over Inuyasha began to walk again heading into the small field that their hut was in; but he completely missed how upset his mate was when he walked by.

"You… you don't want me to come with you; I wouldn't get hurt because I have been practicing with my spiritual power… you don't want to spend time with me?" Kagome burst into tears where she stood causing panic to course through the dog demon's body.

"K-Kagome… why are you crying? Why are you getting upset over this, I might not even go! I want to spend time with you and I thought we could go away again… there's this really great bathhouse near the palace I wanted to take you to," Inuyasha walked back over to his mate and pulled her into his arms; having her crying outside in the cold was a danger to her health.

"A bathhouse… in the west, but I thought only demons were welcome in the area of the palace?"

"Well normally yes but you are the mate to the, as of right now, heir to the west so you are welcome anywhere… while I am with you and while everyone can smell my scent on you."

Kagome blushed at both his statement and the wiggle of his eyebrow after, "Inuyasha… will we have to wait to go to this bathhouse," she signed just thinking about the warm springs and the stress free environment would do her a world of good.

"We can go as soon as the snow lets up around here… I don't want you getting sick while we travel."

"Oh you and your overprotectiveness," Kagome lightly smacked his chest as she buried her nose into his neck.

"You're damn right I'm going to protect what is mine wench; and I can feel the chill to your body which means we've been out here too long." Before she could question what he meant by his words she let out small squeak in surprise as he lifted her into his arms and dashed to their hut… Kagome giggling all the way.

The couple was so focused on themselves during this joyous night that neither noticed their uninvited guests just on the edge of the forest.

"This is worse than even I feared," a tall shadow moved from behind a tree into the clearing another following right behind.

"My lord please it's not what you think."

"Not what I think? Do my eyes play tricks on me…? I think not boy; our priestess is indeed a dark one. Kagome has chosen to side with our enemies; even with her power we have no choice but to cleanse these lands entirely."

"Yukio-sama please let me explain Kagome isn't on their side… that demon he is too strong for her, he is controlling her. All we need to do is rid her of his spell and I'm certain she will join our side; please my lord allowed me to handle it… I will get her."

"Very well Masanori, I will allow you to handle her; but if she is unreachable we will have no choice but to rid this world of her… it would be a great shame too," Yukio looked back to the hut where their savior had entered with the demon.

"I will my lord, and when the spring comes this village will either join us or go down in flames." _'But either way Kagome will be mine… and no one will take her from me.'_

* * *

**Note: I know Christmas is a Christian holiday and probably isn't widely celebrated around the world so I'm basing dinner they had in this chapter more along the lines of the pagean holiday that Christmas took over basically in the states. Again this chapter was fluff and it wasn't that good in my own opinion... I didn't know where I wanted to go with most of it and it's just taking up space till the next chapter which will be starting in the spring for Inuyasha and his group. Masanori now knows about Inuyasha and Kagome but what will this do for our friends... and just who killed those mens from Yukio's group; was it Inuyasha?**

**Good news I have to announce, if you haven't read my homepage, I will be graduating from collage this friday so that means more chapters to be coming out quicker than they have in the last few months... I also plan of finishing the other like 5 stories I started a while ago before I start anything new.**

**Thanks to:  
**Priss-hanyo  
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**For reviewing... lov'em, keep it up!**


	23. The spring of life and death part 1

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that good stuff

* * *

Kagome laid on her stomach wrapped up in the soft blankets she had placed on the futon the night before; she always loved the feel of fresh bedding on her skin and she had hoped with them on the bed would get her mind off other things.

Inuyasha, like he promised, did take Kagome to that bathhouse in the west a few days after the winter holiday… it was heaven on earth to Kagome. Unlike the last time she came to the west she was welcome with open arms and treated like a princess by the workers; the hot spring was to die for and they even had a sauna which Kagome couldn't believe. The only thing she was a little disappointed about was the massage, or the fact that her over protective mate would not allow the handsome young otter demon to touch her. Inuyasha didn't the way the boy was staring at his mate, or his twitching paws; Kagome was saddened that she would not be getting a massage but she squealed in delight when Inuyasha brought her back to their room and gave her a very private and intimate massage that lead to other activities. They stayed at the bathhouse for nearly two weeks and Kagome was a little disappointed that they had to go back to their normal lives; which got back into full swing upon their return.

A village a half a day away sent a message for Miroku asking his help to get rid of a demon; it wasn't a bid demon so the monk went alone that meant Sango was alone with the babies and Kagome went over to help her for the day.

"Oh Sango-chan it was amazing! The hot springs rejuvenated me, I feel like I'm fifteen again… no wonder demons live so long if they have those places at their disposal… it was truly heaven."

"It sounds like it was lovely Kagome-chan… I wish Miroku would take me to places like that; we haven't done anything together since before the girls were born."

Kagome could hear the depressive tone in her best friend's voice; she felt horrible about bragging about her time spent away from the village when the other girl hasn't left the town in over a year. Then an idea struck the little miko and a smile came to her face, "Sango-chan, how about this… Inuyasha and I can watch the girls for a few days while you and Miroku go on a little vacation!"

"What! Oh no Kagome we couldn't impose like that on you and besides I'm not sure Inuyasha would be pleased with the idea," Sango wanted to distract her friend from the idea she had; the demon slayer was touched that she would offer such a thing but she was fearful. No one but herself took care of her children and it wasn't that she didn't trust Kagome with them; it was just that they were so young and she had never been away from them before.

Kagome understood her fears, she would have the same fears it they were her own children; but she was determined to get Sango to agree, Kagome could see how tired and stressed she was from caring for two babies all the time… she needed a few days of relaxation.

"You did what! Kagome what possessed you to offer this!"

"Inuyasha, keep your voice down or you will wake them," Kagome glared at her mate while she quietly observed the tiny twins in their bassinet making sure they didn't wake.

It was a few days after Kagome had suggested to Sango about a vacation; the slayer finally brought it up to her husband and he jumped at the idea. It took some time but Miroku was a smooth talker and got his wife to accept Kagome's generous offer.

Inuyasha was confused when his mate dragged him to their friends' hut the next day; everything kind of happened really fast and the next thing the demon knew their friends were gone… and they left their kids.

"Kagome, just how long are we going to be stuck here?" The angry dog demon was barely keeping his voice down as he paced the length of the hut.

"I'm not sure… I guess when they decide to return from wherever Miroku was taking her; you better bring our futon over just in case."

"What! Kagome!"

"Oh shush, it's not that big a deal and this will be good practice…" Kagome didn't finish her sentence but Inuyasha knew what she meant; since her accident nearly two months ago the couple hadn't talked about children. Inuyasha tried to push it from his mind but apparently Kagome was still thinking about it.

"Keh, fine we'll watch them but if the monk comes back with Sango pupped again I'll kill him."

Kagome rolled her eyes as she remembered her mate's statement that day; that was over a month ago and thankfully Sango came home sans new baby… Inuyasha refused to babysit anymore after the fiasco that happened though.

Kagome had been feeding Takara lunch and Aki was having a fit about something; well Kagome couldn't handle both infants so Inuyasha had to deal with the squirming, screaming baby… just to speed things up Aki pulled Inuyasha's hair and her screaming gave him a headache, he has deemed them spawn of Amatsu-Mikaboshi and refused to watch them again.

'_He's so overdramatic,'_ Kagome rolled over on to her back looking up at the ceiling of the hut; the sun leaked through the window flaps telling her she should have been up a while ago. She really didn't have a reason to get out of bed other than not feeling lazy; Inuyasha had left before sun up saying something about a demon being spotted close to the village.

Kagome was half asleep when he told her all this so she wasn't sure if Miroku would be going with him or not; once she finally decided how to spend her day Kagome planned to drop by Sango's to see if her husband was home.

"Well there's no point in laying around all day… there's a lot to do," She rolled out of bed and made sure her sleeping kimono was tightly secured to her body before leaving the bedroom to set foot in the main of the hut.

The sitting room was extremely cold due to the fact that the fire pit was unlit; a deep chill ran through Kagome's body as she raced over to light the pit… within minutes the room was set in orangey glow and warming up by the second. Once the fire was steady and Kagome was certain it wouldn't go out she went about the room grabbing a pot and filling it with water from the basin and a cup of rice to make a quick breakfast; with wasting most of her morning in bed she needed to eat fast and go about her business for the day.

'_I wonder what time Inuyasha will be home,'_ Kagome stoked the fire as she ate her rice thinking about if she will need to come home early to make him dinner. While pondering this for a bit Kagome missed when someone approached her hut and she nearly jumped when the person began to knock rapidly on the door.

"Kagome-sama, Kagome-sama please I need to speak with you it is urgent!"

'_Masanori? W-What is he doing here? I thought Inuyasha scared him off the last time… what could he possibly want with me?'_ Kagome stood and cautiously approached the door, she hoped he would think she wasn't home and just leave; but luck wasn't on her side as the man knocked again.

"Kagome-sama!"

She desperately wanted to ignore his call but Kagome was raised with manners and therefore could not overlook his plea. She opened the door slowly expecting Yukio's entire group to be outside waiting to bring her to her funeral pier; there was no doubt in her mind that Masanori had told his master about who… and what her husband was, she actually thought they would have been at her door step months ago.

The door scraped softly across the wooden floor; the sound itself alerted the man waiting for her. "Oh Kagome-sama, thank the kami you are here; it is horrible! A demon has attacked our encampment; there are many that have been wounded and we need your help to vanquish it."

'_A demon attacked them, could it have been the one Inuyasha went after; he wouldn't let a threat like that get that close to the village… oh kami has he been hurt?'_ "A demon?"

"Yes Kagome-sama please we need you!"

The young woman was hesitant in what to do; this man and his people hated demons and wanted to rid the world of them and since her mate was a demon she didn't want to help them. But her heart knew it was wrong of her to choose who is to live and die; she would be no better than them if she ignored Masanori's request. "Y-Yes of course Masanori-san, let me change first and I will be right there," Kagome closed the door after seeing the relief washed over his face and a quick nod of his head.

She put out the fire and went to her room to change into a set of miko robes that Keade helped her make; grabbing her bow and quiver of arrows leaning against the wall Kagome left her hut and followed Masanori to his encampment.

* * *

'_Damn-it where the hell is this demon at! I feel like I'm running around in circles here,'_ Inuyasha was perched in a tall tree at the edge of the forest that bore his name; the opposite end of where Keade's village resided which didn't sit well with him. Ever since learning of the group that killed the southern wolf tribe was living on the outskirts of his own village Inuyasha's stomach has been in a knot; and every day that went by that knot got a bit tighter. And now earlier this morning he was ask to find a demon that was spotted in the area so that left his mate alone during this tense time.

"Damn, there ain't no demon out here… I can't even pick up the scents of any of the recent ones either," Inuyasha scratched his head looking at both the ground below him and the sky above… but he saw no demon anywhere. _'This just doesn't make sense… Miroku said there was a demon spotted out here.'_ The dog demon thought back to that morning; maybe he miss heard the monk's directions.

The sun hadn't even risen yet and Inuyasha had been disturbed from his content sleep. His ear twitch as if a nagging fly buzzed about it, he shook his head and buried his face deeper into his mate's shoulder, his arm tightened around Kagome's waist; he was nearly back to sleep when the buzzing stated again.

'_What the hell is that!'_ The annoyed demon carefully untangled his limbs from his mate and got out of bed slowly as to not wake her; he was going to find the reason for the noise and then kill it.

Once out in the sitting room he quickly realized it was not a bug but someone at the door making the noise; he opened it quickly to scare the intruder off but was shocked to see his closest friend standing there half asleep. "What the hell are you doing here this early monk?"

"Inuyasha… can I ask a favor of you? One of the men came to my door even earlier than this and said he saw a demon wondering about on the other side of the forest; he claimed it looked rather terrifying and he feared it would come into the village."

"Yeah and what do you want from me; and how come I don't sense this demon, I would be able to sense a demon in any position in my forest from here."

Miroku released a great yawn and rubbed his tired eyes trying to rid the sleep from his body, "I know I thought the same thing but this demon maybe stronger than the many we've dealt with recently. I would go and deal with it but the girls have had a few bad nights and neither my precious wife nor I have gotten much sleep; I am afraid I will let my guard down while in battle and would probably die if fighting a strong demon right now."

"Alright monk, go back to bed… I'll handle the demon."

Inuyasha left shortly after and now, hours later, he still had not found this demon. "This is ridiculous and I'm not staying here all day to see if this thing pops up." He jumped down from the branch he was standing on and landed softly on the ground; his sharp eyes scanned the area one last time before he deemed it demon free. "Keh, it must have run off already."

Inuyasha turned, intended to head back to the village… maybe Kagome had some left over breakfast he could eat; he was so focused on his stomach he nearly missed the crunching of twigs under someone else's feet. He tensed when that person came out of the bushes behind him; a growl slipped passed his lips when he realized he didn't recognize this person's scent.

Inuyasha turned around to face the stranger, their aura was very weak so he wasn't threatened but when he set his eyes on the person a chill ran down his spine. _'Kikyo?'_ It was impossible, she couldn't be standing right there, he had seen his son attack and send her soul back to hell… she couldn't be alive.

"So the rumor was true, I had gone to the tree that the half demon had been sealed to fifty years ago and it was bare. Kagome released you from the tree but did not kill you after the jewel disappeared."

"Who are you?" Inuyasha was extremely uncomfortable with this woman who looked like Kikyo and knew so much about him yet he had no clue just who she was.

"I will not answer you demon, once Yukio-san is finished with this village we will finish cleansing the east of this demonic taint that it is held in," Chieko stepped away from the tree revealing herself completely to the demon; her anger was great. She was livid when Yukio had informed her over a month ago that he had seen Kagome interacting with a demon; Masanori was strongly against his precious priestess willing siding with this demon and had told her of his plan to rid Kagome of this demon's spell.

Chieko didn't believe the girl was under any such spell but she had to agree with this plan or Yukio would banish her from their group; she was a priestess yes but not a very strong one that could fend for herself against a strong demon. Even now she trembled slightly in the presence of this demon when his aura brushed against her own.

Inuyasha relaxed slightly when the woman stepped out of the shadow of the trees and into the light; she did have some resemblance to Kikyo, possibly even more than Kagome did when he first met her, but this woman was not the deceased miko. "You're one of them huh? Funny how you're the first one I've met that actually has a bit of spiritual power… it's not a whole lot but its more than that pathetic Masanori boy that attempted to purify me months ago."

Chieko glared at the demon, _'Masanori… he knew this demon was in the village and didn't tell us?'_ "You will not have to worry about what goes on in this world much longer demon," she took a step toward Inuyasha and knelt down to a patch of soft dirt.

"Oh yeah… and why is that?" Inuyasha watched as the woman bent to touch the ground; seeing her strange behavior caused Inuyasha to drop his guard slightly… and that's all it took.

The second Chieko felt his intense, choking, aura recede she quickly drew an ancient symbol into the dirt and recited a chant softly locking the trap in place.

Quicker than Inuyasha could even see the symbol at Chieko's fingertips spread across the ground in a circular shape and began to glow. "What the he-ahhhhh!" Inuyasha's body locked up as a massive electrical shock shot up his back; it left him breathless and his skin felt like it was burned on to his bones. He couldn't move from the spot and the next bolt of energy that shot through his body weakened his knees to where he collapsed where he stood. _'I… I can't move… what type of magic is this?'_

Inuyasha couldn't handle the intense pain racking through his body from the spell; black spots started to appear blurring his vision until he blacked out completely, his body shutting down to try and heal itself… his last thought before losing consciousness was about Kagome and how he needed to protect her.

* * *

"AH!" Kagome clutched her chest and fell to her knees on the road side suddenly causing Masanori to panic and race to her side.

"Kagome-sama… Kagome-sama are you alright!"

'_What… what was that? It felt like something was pulling at my heart… calling to me.'_ Kagome, with Masanori's help, slowly stood, "I'm alright... I must have tripped over a rock or something."

"Oh of course… I'm sorry to be taking so long to the campsite my lady," Masanori refused to release his grip on Kagome's arm when he helped her stand; he was amazed by the softness of the skin under his fingertips.

Kagome didn't ask him but she too was curious as to why he was leading her completely around the village to his camp; it was obvious that the quickest way to get there would be to go directly through the center of the town, but Masanori lead her around it for some reason… or purposely.

'_Why would he direct me this far from the town, surely it wasn't because of the scenery right?'_ Looking around her Kagome could see signs of spring everywhere, the trees were beginning to bloom again and most of the snow had melted away; but Masanori could possibly think a nice walk was appropriate at this time… not when a demon was attacking his people right? "It's alright Masanori-san… I am alright now, let us move quickly so I may help those injured," Kagome pulled away from him and began to walk once more.

"Um… yes of course… because of the demon." If Kagome had not been so distracted with the pain she had felt in her heart she would have noticed the uncertainty in the boy's voice.

It didn't take much longer to reach the encampment of Yukio's group, but other than a few tents that collapsed and a few small items that were turned over or had fallen to the ground, nothing looked out of place… except for the fact that it was completely devoid of life.

'_Where is everyone? Could the demon have chased them all away from the camp… or could they be fighting it, protecting the village from its' wrath.'_ "Masanori-san, where is everyone?" Kagome approached the closest tent and opened the flap to look inside, as she thought no one was there.

"I uh… I'm not sure Kagome-sama. Many were running from the demon when it attacked Yukio-sama… oh kami! Yukio-sama was trying to stop it, he protected me when the beast charged; he sent me to find you… he could be hurt."

Kagome did not like the boy's obsession with his master, mostly because he was an evil man that killed innocent people; but even though she didn't like him she couldn't ignore if he was hurt. "Well where is his tent Masanori-san, please take me to him so that I may help."

Masanori's eyes brightened for a second before he nodded his head in agreement, "Yes of course… right this way Kagome-sama!"

A few moments later Kagome was standing in front of a massive and elaborate tent, one a lord would use when travelling… of course a man like Yukio, with his large ego, would have such a grand home; taking a deep breath and stopping herself from rolling her eyes Kagome stepped inside.

It was no surprise that the inside was just as beautiful as the outside; a large fire pit was in the center of the tent, several dark wooden chests lined one side no doubt all filled with extravagant clothes and a large plush futon rested against the other wall.

'_Well he's certainly living well beyond his means isn't he?'_ Kagome frowned at what was before her; there were many that deserved these things more than this man… but it wasn't her place to judge. When sheregained her focus is when Kagome noticed something of great importance was missing from this room, "Masanori-san… where is Yukio-sama?"

When Kagome turned to face her companion for an answer she was shocked to find him in tears. "Masanori-san… what is wrong?"

"Kagome-sama please… I ask of your forgiveness for what I've done…I can no longer lie to you."

Kagome took a step back in shock at the man's words, "Forgiveness? What have you done to ask forgiveness of me? What have you lied about Masanori-san?"

"I have been false in my reasons for bring you here… no demon has come upon my group."

A chill ran down Kagome's spine at his words, "No demon… why would you lie about something so horrible!"

Masanori stepped close and took Kagome's hands in his own, "Please Kagome, you must forgive me… I meant no harm to anyone but I needed to bring you here."

Kagome tried to fight out of his grasp and move away from him, "No! No I will not forgive you for what you've done; how could you? Why… why did I need to come here!"

"Because… because I needed to save you Kagome; I needed to save you from what will happen here," Masanori pulled the fighting girl into his chest stopping her fists from hitting him.

"What are you doing, unhand me now Masanori! What is to happen… what is going on!" Kagome's panic only increased when she felt one of his hands go to the back of her neck to keep her in place while the other brought a cloth with a sweet smelling herb to it to cover her nose; she fought back harder to get away but it was no use as he was stronger than her. Her panic caused her to quicken her breaths and therefore she inhaled the aroma on the cloth even quicker; her mind grew fuzzy and her body grew weak.

'_What is happening to me… everything is becoming blurry; I need to fight him but my body… it won't listen to me… Inuyasha I need you.' _

"Shhh… there, there Kagome relax… I will take care of you don't worry; and when you wake up everything will be alright," Masanori watched as the girl in his arms fell into a dreamlike state; a smile came to his face as her eyes drifted shut in sleep. No longer fighting he pulled the cloth away from her face and laid her gently down on the futon; his fingers grazed her soft cheek as he moved a piece of her raven hair behind her ear. "You are truly a blessing from the kami Kagome, and as their messenger I will save you; by the end of this day you will be mine in all forms… and never will you think of that demon again."

* * *

**Note: So it is time... the spring has melted away the winter snow and Yukio's group has begun their move. What will become of our friends... will they suffer the same fate as Nobou and his village? What does Masanori have planned for poor Kagome now that she is unconcious? What is going on in the village that he didn't want her to see... and what will happen to Inuyasha?**

**Important!: I ask that my loyal readers stop by my homepage after reading this chapter, my story has been nominated for best friends/family fanfiction on http: / bornforeachother . blogspot . com / (with no spaces... there's a link on my page) so please go vote! There's only four days left to!**

** Amatsu-Mikaboshi= shinto god of evil... basically Inuyasha was saying Miroku's girls are the spawn of satan.**

**Thanks to:  
**HelloKittyThong  
Elantina  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
CherryBlossom7w7  
Ldsprincess  
edasama  
xXxAddicted2ChocolatexXx  
InuXKag0.0  
S0me18skittles  
BugBite14  
DemonQueen17  
mangamichelle12  
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**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up... and don't forget to vote, everyone counts!**


	24. The spring of life and death part 2

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that good stuff

* * *

"In… ya… ha."

'_Ugh… my head… I'm so dizzy.'_

"Inu… ya… sha."

'_What the hell… what the hell happened?'_

"Inu… yasha… wa… ke… up."

'_What is that noise… ugh it sounds like that… that damn bug from this morning. Wait that wasn't a bug… it was.'_

"Inuyasha… wake up!"

'_Miroku!'_ Inuyasha's eyes immediately shot open when the thought of his closest male friend came to his mind; he groaned a second later when the headache came on from opening his eyes so quickly, he rolled to his side when a bout of queasiness attacked him next and he felt he might be sick.

"Oh Inuyasha, thank the gods you're alright; when they brought you here you weren't moving and we thought… well we're happy you're alive."

Inuyasha fought off the dizziness to open his eyes and stare at his friend; he felt as if he had one too many jugs of demon sake the night before… and Miroku's over eagerness and excitement only made the pounding in his head worse.

"Monk, what the hell are you talking about… and why are you whispering?"

"Because it is necessary my friend and please you must do the same or they will hear us."

'_Hear us… who are they?'_ Inuyasha turned around to look in the direction of where the monk's voice was coming from; Inuyasha half expected Miroku to be standing over top of him with a smirk on his face. Needless to say they dog demon was surprised to see the other man tied up a few feet away from where he was on the ground. "Miroku, what the hell did we do!"

"It wasn't us… it was them," the rope that tied up Miroku restricted his movements so he could only indicate with a nod of his head in the direction where the 'they' were located.

Inuyasha slowly pushed his upper body off the ground, being careful because he was still slightly dizzy, and looked over his shoulder in the direction the monk showed him to see what they were dealing with. Immediately he noticed the priestess from earlier standing a few yards away talking to a man; when his eyes locked with her everything came back.

A deep growl left his throat the longer he looked at her, _'That bitch… she used some type of magic on me; I was on the other side of the forest… how did I get here?'_ Inuyasha realized he was sitting in the small market area of the village; it was an open space in the center of the village that people set up shop to sell things. But no stands were open and there wasn't anyone wondering around except a few humans he didn't recognize which made the demon uneasy.

"Miroku; who are these people?" When Inuyasha turned around to face his friend he now got a good look around the other man… behind Miroku the rest of the villagers were being caged in by the strange men. They must have found the storage shed that the village men kept their weapons in to protect the village from demons; these outsiders were keeping the older villagers and the woman and children away from the men. "Monk what the hell is going on here?" Inuyasha was enraged by what he saw, by what these people were doing to the village he protected.

"I am not sure Inuyasha; those that are walking around are members of the group that were residing outside of the village since the harvest; Kagome saved one of their younger mem-."

"Masanori yeah I know… so this is the rest of them huh? This is what they do to those that help them?" _'But that would explain why the woman has spiritual power… and why she attacked me.' _

"Yes well they have been silent all winter, we had thought they had left actually, but they charged into our hut this morning tied us up and brought us here. A short time later two of the men dragged you here from the direction of the woods… Chieko-sama wasn't far behind."

"Who's Chieko?"

"It's the woman in priestess robes over there talking to Yukio… he's their leader," Miroku sent a heated glare in the direction of the two humans still in heavy conversation over something.

"Keh, some leader having others do his work for him… this group's fame has made it all the way to my brother; but seeing them now I don't see how. How could they kill countless demons when I can barely sense any spiritual power among them… unless my senses are playing tricks on me," Inuyasha made very little movements while talking to Miroku, he didn't want to draw too much attention to himself.

"No I believe you're right Inuyasha; they never stay in my present for long but the few times I've been near one of them I have not sense any spiritual power from them."

'_So Miroku thinks they're frauds… there have been many false prophets in my time but that still doesn't explain how they were able to destroy the southern wolf clan or the demons guarding the border between the south and the west; if I can get my claws on one them surely I could get them to talk.'_ Inuyasha made to stand from his kneeling position to go after the woman that attacked him earlier; he could get the information and get his own revenge.

Miroku saw his friend tense as if he was about to strike, "Inuyasha, wait stop… don't move!" His warning was too late as Inuyasha sprang up; a bright flash of light exploded in front of Miroku as the demon's body collided with an invisible barrier.

The same electrical shock from that morning shot through Inuyasha's body as he bounced off the barrier and crashed back to the ground; he was lucky that it wasn't as strong as before though, he had a bit of a headache and parts of his clothes and hair were fried but other than that was fine.

"Damn-it, what the hell was that!"

"I warned you Inuyasha… look at the ground around you."

The demon lying on his back rolled over to his stomach to do as the monk said; like earlier Inuyasha saw the same odd symbols carved into the ground around him in a circle. "What the hell is this Miroku?"

"I'm not sure but I think it's an ancient magic; they most likely stole it from a temple and have been using it for their own purposes. It reacts to your demonic aura and only flares up when your aura does; it maybe an old way of sealing a demon's spirit… but I'm not certain."

'_A sealing spell… I've had enough of them in my life time and I don't plan to be caught in one again but how do I get out of this?'_

"Well… well… well… it appears it has finally awoken Chieko-sama… we can begin now," while Inuyasha was busy finding a way out of his cage he caught Yukio's attention when the barrier crackled; both Chieko and he moved over to examine their captive like a child would look at an animal in the zoo.

"Yes it seems so my lord," Chieko glared in disgust at the caged beast; if it were up to her she would have killed the demon in the woods where they stood… not bring him back to the village and make a spectacle about it all… but she wasn't in charge.

Inuyasha, not one to be intimated by a human, jumped up from the ground to stand at his full height now eye level with Yukio to glare him down. "So you're the leader of this demon hating murderous group… an old man past his prime," he folded his arms over his chest with a smirk on his face when the man's eyes boiled with a hateful rage.

'_Inuyasha what are you doing! Don't anger him while you're locked up!'_ If Miroku wasn't tied up he would have smacked Inuyasha in the back of his head for his cocky attitude.

"How dare a creature like you speak to Yukio-sama in such a manner… you disgusting beast!" Chieko stepped toward Inuyasha's prison and allowed her spiritual aura to increase; the ancient symbols upon the ground reacted to her power and lit up sending another electrical shock through Inuyasha's body.

The power behind the attack was stronger than the barrier itself and Inuyasha had to fight to keep standing when his legs were ready to collapse again. Yukio's rage subsided and a smile came to his face as he saw the pain flash across Inuyasha's face as he fought stand. "You have quite the mouth don't you demon, I'm surprised you've lived this long."

The taut caused Inuyasha to growl, he shook off the pain in his legs and stepped toward the human but was careful not to touch the barrier again, "Keh, you'd be surprised what trouble my mouth gets me into but you won't be around long enough to know."

Chieko was shocked that Inuyasha broke free from her spiritual hold but Yukio didn't flinch as he stood directly in front of him. _'I don't understand… how was he able to break my hold; it's like his power is increasing.'_ "Yukio-sama?"

"Calm yourself Chieko-san… this demon is simply a little stronger than the others we've fought… but then I wouldn't be surprised seeing as he is the brother of the dog demon claiming the west."

Inuyasha hid his shock that this human knew who he was and even knew of Sesshomaru; if he knew how dangerous this was to his people and him then he was crazy to challenge Inuyasha in the first place. "You know who I am… and yet you still had the balls to attack this village?"

"You vile beast!"

"Silence Chieko… let it speak seeing as this will be its last day among the living," Yukio smirked and turned away from Inuyasha, making his way over to one of the men not guarding the villagers; with his super hearing Inuyasha could easily pick up what was being said. "Is everything ready for travel?"

"We have secured all of our things my lord; the food supple should hold up for several days but we will need to stock up again before heading into the western lands," the soldier bowed deeply to Yukio.

"Good make sure everything is completely ready to move… we will be finished with this village by sunset," Yukio turned away and moved over to where the villagers were being held; while all this was going on apparently the men watching the villagers had been asking them some questions… but they were too far away from Inuyasha to hear more than whispers.

'_So they're planning on a quick escape are they? Sesshomaru won't be happy to know the west is their next target… but what do they plan for the village?'_ "Hey Miroku, what happened when they brought you here before I came?"

Miroku was thrown by the odd question but quickly racked his brain for the answer, "Um… they separated us, the women, children and elderly were put over there and all the men are over there," he looked over his shoulder to the group of men tied up like he was behind him, "Then Yukio's men started to ask where our loyalty lied." At the confusion on Inuyasha's face Miroku continued, "They asked if we sided with the demon that was hiding in Kagome-sama hut or were we with them."

Inuyasha's face paled with this knowledge, _'They knew I was there… they know about me and Kagome.'_

"Most of the village knows you would never harm them and have been protecting us for years; but those families that still resented you for Kikyo-sama's death… they have sided with Yukio."

Inuyasha growled both anger and hurt by the betrayal, "Where are they?"

"I don't know, Yukio had them moved away… but I think he gained a few new followers; they most likely are back at his encampment."

"Bastards… all of them, selling us out like that," Inuyasha scanned the group of villagers again looking at every face; he didn't know all their names or recognize their faces but these people were loyal to him. Young children, frightened mothers trying to calm their babes, men worried about the lives of their families… and it was all his fault; among the group Inuyasha saw Keade and the village headman, Rin trying to be brave while helping Sango with the twins. He was pleased to see that none of them had been harmed do to siding with him; but a chill ran down his spine when he didn't see the face he desired most, "Miroku… where is Kagome?"

Miroku bowed his head shamefully, "I don't know they didn't bring her here with the rest of the villagers; she may have escaped to the forest before they got to your hut… or-."

"Or they have her trapped somewhere," Inuyasha's rage increased just thinking about what his mate may be enduring while in those monsters' hands. His aura flared and clashed with the cage he was trapped in; sparks of electricity shot up as his demon increased in strength ready to shoot out like a canon.

Chieko was the first to notice that he was trying to break out of the barrier, she raced over to increase the spell's power and drain him of his energy like so many demons before that fell to their power; but just as she got it to activate Inuyasha released his aura again, it lashed at the barrier but didn't break it. It didn't break but the barrier did bend a great deal, so much so that it hit Chieko; the combination of the pure spiritual energy that made up the barrier and Inuyasha's demonic aura fighting it tainted the air slightly when it hit her… the shriek of pain she released would have caused anyone's ears to bleed; when the barrier finally calmed down she was thrown a good distance away… unmoving.

"Lady Chieko! Lady Chieko!" Several of the men that weren't guarding the villagers raced over to their fallen priestess to aid her; from where Miroku was sitting he could see that the woman had been badly burned on the left side of her face… the pain she was in must have been unbearable.

Yukio watched the scene unfold before him and he glared at the woman's stupidity… if it weren't for the small amount of spiritual power she possessed he would have gotten rid of her already. He calmly approached the group of men surrounding her to observe the scene; he scrunched up his noise in displeasure when he heard her whimpering in pain and the smell of her burnt flesh. "Take her back to our encampment and tell the women to tend to her aid… return quickly," he didn't even look her over as the men carefully lifted her from the ground and left the village center.

Yukio turned back to the demon that caused all this; after seeing what Inuyasha did to their high priestess the other men were very weary to be so close, but Yukio approached with no fear. "You are far greater trouble than any other demons we've vanquished… she will probably die in a few short hours."

"As if I care whether a two but priestess lives or dies… she's no concern of mine."

"You demons are disgusting creatures, you plague our pure world with your taint and you think because you are physically stronger than us humans that you can rule us!"

"You obviously have a reason for hating demons, so what is it? Did one kill your parents or something, your daughter fall for one and became its lover… what?" Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest and waited for an answer; if the stupid human wanted to talk by all means he would let him; it gave Inuyasha more time to figure out how to get out of this prison.

"My personal feelings towards demons matters not; the kami have chosen me to do their bidding, I will rid this world of your taint and all those that refuse to see the light," Yukio's last comment was aimed at Miroku who rolled his eyes.

Inuyasha knew every word this man spouted was false it was clearly written on his face how much he hated demons; and Inuyasha was certain if the gods were looking for a human to be their warrior against the demon race… this human wasn't it.

Miroku didn't like where this conversation was heading nor did he like how his wife and young daughters were so vulnerable; it was already passed midday and the babies had not eaten. Sango was too modest to breast feed in front of all these people; Miroku could see the fear in his wife's eyes and he could already see Takara squirming around in Rin's arms as she tried to calm the baby down.

"With all respect Yukio-sama, we've done nothing wrong; as a village we have done nothing but generously accommodate you and your people… and we deserve this treatment in return?"

"I have given you a clear choice Miroku-san and every one that chose the path of righteousness is safe from the kami's wrath; those that side with demons shall be punished and hopefully in their next life they shall be more holy in their decisions."

"What choice… there are children here that were not given a choice, innocent lives are here!" Miroku caught on quickly to Yukio's words and knew what he had planned.

"Miroku-san, those innocent lives will grow to sympathize with demons like their parents before them… it is better they leave this world now so they won't understand what is happening; they will be cherished among the gods… wouldn't you wish that for your children?"

A vicious growl left Inuyasha's mouth as he bared his sharp fangs… he knew a threat when he heard one, "You keep his pups out of this, if you touch one hair on their heads I'll rip you apart one limb at a time!"

"Pups? Is that what you refer to your spawn as… is that what you've been trying to do here; you've been trying to breed half demon abominations!" Yukio raised an accusing finger in Inuyasha's face causing him to step back slightly; all those in the derange priest's party turned in his direction when they heard his words.

Despite his anger Inuyasha's ears instinctively drooped like a puppy's would when doing something wrong… the looks of disgust and horror from the other men weren't helping either.

Yukio's eye widened slowly as he saw the look of embarrassment flashed across the demon's face, "So it is true… Masanori was right… you have been keeping her in your control; you wish to taint the girl so she can no longer use her powers!"

"What the hell are you talking about? I haven't tainted anyone!"

"Inuyasha calm down," Miroku warned seeing his friend's power lash out at the seal again creating sparks; he didn't want to get caught in the blast should the barrier bend again.

Yukio heard the man's warning but he was more interested in the name, "Inu… yasha? That name belongs to the half breed that the great Kikyo-sama sealed to a tree some fifty years ago… you're a full demon, you couldn't possibly be-."

"The same? Yeah actually I am; Kagome released me from my sleep, she saved me in more ways than one," Inuyasha's smirk returned seeing how pale the priest looked.

"Why… why would Kagome-sama do such a thing… to release such a creature and then allow it to roam free… what was she thinking?"

'_I'm not a common dog you know and I've never been out of her sight so I haven't hurt anyone.'_

"Wait… if you are the same beast then how did you change? You were a half breed."

"That ain't your business old man," Inuyasha wasn't going to tell him that he changed the first time Kagome and he were together as mates… he wouldn't endanger her life. But thinking about his woman made him worry again about where she was now; he had left her unprotected this morning when the village was raided… he only hoped she had gotten to a safe pleased before they came for her.

* * *

Light… light is the first thing that registered in her groggy brain; light flickered behind her closed eyelids. _'Wait… wait when did I fall asleep? And in the middle of the day… I would never do such a thing.'_ Trying to open her eyes to figure out what was going wasn't the smartest of ideas as now she realized the pounding headache she had was only getting worse.

She turned over to block out the migraine that was forming and felt the plush futon under her; it was soft and silky which was a cause for alarm because the one currently in her bedroom was not this extravagant.

'_This doesn't make sense… I don't remember falling asleep; what else don't I remember?'_ Being more careful this time she opened her eyes slowly to allow them to adjust to her surroundings… and it was wasn't what she was hoping to see.

The glowing fire illuminated the large tent and created a warm atmosphere that was probably meant to comfort but all it did was make Kagome worry more. _'I'm in Yukio's tent… that was where Mas… Masanori!'_ Adrenaline shot through her body pushing back the headache and allowing Kagome to sit up on the futon; her eyes frantically darted around the tent in search of her capturer. A relieved sigh left her lungs when she didn't see him in any part of the large room,_ 'Would he really just leave me here alone thinking that I wouldn't escape?'_ It seemed luck was on her side and she only waited another minute before jumping up and sprinting towards the tents entrance; her luck was short though as she only made it to the fire pit before her arm was suddenly pulled back towards the futon.

The quick jolt nearly dislocated her shoulder and the recoil made her fall backwards on the ground, "What… what was that?" Kagome looked down at her sore wrist and couldn't believe that she missed the rope tied to her arm and the other part tied off to a wooden pole just behind the futon. _'He… he tied me up! He doesn't trust that I wouldn't run?'_ She completely blew off the fact that she had indeed just tried to run away and allowed her anger to boil over that the man that kidnapped her didn't trust her.

"I've got to get out of here… I've got to warn the village… I've got to get to Inuyasha before he comes back to the hut," Kagome yanked repeatedly on the rope hoping it would come loose from the pole or break; when that didn't work she tried to slip her tiny hand through the loop. She gave up when all her efforts were doing was rubbing the skin of her wrist raw, "It's no use… if I can't get out of her I can't warn Inuyasha."

"There's no point in worrying about that anymore Kagome."

The young girl jumped at the sound of the man's voice coming from the tent's entrance; a dark cloud fell over Kagome as she turned to face the man… her prayers to escape this prison went unanswered as she locked gazes with the man that lured her here.

"Please Kagome-sama don't give me that look," Masanori stepped into the light of the fire a look of guilt and sadness on his face made Kagome feel slightly better… maybe she could get through to him this time.

"Why… why are you doing this? You don't understand how dangerous this all is, but if you let me go now… if you let me go I can convince Inuyasha that this was all a mistake. He's out of the village right now but if he returns and finds I'm not home he'll-."

"He'll what… destroy the village, he will be so angry that his control has been taken away and he will slaughter the entire village!"

Kagome was taken aback by his outburst, "Inuyasha would never hurt anyone in the village… he will know you brought me here and he will come to get me back; I don't know what he will do but I don't want you to get hurt." She hoped he would buy into her lie and release yes Inuyasha would come for her but she knew she would have no control over what he may do. Her mate was a dog demon and they possessive creatures by nature… they were also very vengeful beings and he would want to exact revenge on Masanori for taking her.

"Kagome-sama, you are so powerful, you brought Miroku-san's wife back from the gates of death and saved his second child, you saved me from the wild boar demon; and yet… you are so blinded by this demon. Is he that strong to hold your will so easily; can you not see the dark taint that he is?"

"I'm not blinded by anything Masanori, Inuyasha is the kindest, most gentle man I've ever known; he has a good heart and treats people with respect no matter what they did to him… if there is anyone that is blinded it is you! You're blinded by the rage you have towards demons, it is you who is not thinking clearly," Kagome stood from the ground and would have advanced towards him if her wrist wasn't still tied up in the rope.

Seeing her still trapped brought a smile to Masanori's lips that he had to push down so she wouldn't see; he stepped towards her and took her free hand in his to bring it towards his chest ,"I have never seen more clearly Kagome… I'm not blinded by hatred towards demons any longer because it doesn't help. No now I am solely focused on the most important thing… and that is you."

Kagome had flinched at first when he touched her and she had planned to push him away but his words halted her actions, "What? Why must you focus on me?"

Masanori kept his grip on her hand and walked over to the futon; with his grip being so strong Kagome was forced to follow him over to the bedding to sit as well. "Kagome… you have fallen into the same trap my wife did, the wolf demon tricked her and then he went rouge and killed her… I don't want to see the same fate fall to you."

"Inuyasha would never do such a thing, you obviously don't know demons as well as you claim; demons are very possessive and gentle when concerning their mates… he would never attack me."

Masanori's hand suddenly shot up and grabbed her chin very roughly causing her to scream, "You must stop defending the beast! Do you want to die, if you continue to talk like that you will."

Kagome grabbed his wrist and dug her finger nails into the skin to make him let go; she began to rub her cheeks and rotate her jaw, she could already tell she was going to have a bruise and Inuyasha was going to have a fit. Masanori stood and began to pace in front of her, his eyes bouncing off the walls of the tent as he thought about what he was going to say, "My lord has made his decision about the village, he thinks that the villagers were keeping the demon hidden from him; if they would do such a thing there is no telling what else they would do… Yukio-sama doesn't like to be deceived. He has decided they are too loyal to the creature and the village must be cleansed."

The way the man said 'cleansed' caused Kagome's skin to crawl, "What do you mean cleanse?"

Masanori came over to the futon again and leaned over her; trapping Kagome between himself and the bed… she shivered in disgust as his closeness to her person," Right now as we speak Yukio-sama and the rest of the group have gathered all the villagers in the center of the village; my lord is kind enough to ask them to come over to our side and if they do they will be spared… if they remain loyal to the demon then they will die with him."

'_Die! Die with him… oh god they plan to kill Inuyasha!'_ Realizing that the love of her life was in danger Kagome began to push Masanori away trying once again to escape the tent; she didn't care if she rubbed her wrist completely raw and to the bone… she had to get to Inuyasha to warn him.

Masanori was surprised by Kagome's reaction to his statement he thought she would see the light and agree that the demon should be killed to save the village; but to have her viciously pushing against his chest to get him away from her wasn't what he had in mind. He quickly grabbed her flying fists and forcefully placed them on the futon by her head and caused Masanori to lay even further over her body. "Kagome… why are you fighting me? I thought you would understand."

"Understand! Yukio wants to kill Inuyasha I have to get to him please let me go."

"You have to get to him? Have you finally come to our side… will you kill the creature yourself then; you are far stronger than my master so you could easily destroy him."

Kagome's fighting stopped immediately, "What? You think… I would never kill him. You already know why I won't do it… I lov-." Kagome's declaration of love for her mate was silenced by the explosion of pain to her left cheek and the shock that Masanori had slapped her. A welt was already forming under her eye which was also in pain but was still able to produce tears, _'He… he hit me.'_

Masanori was also horrified with what he had done; he concluded his rage had gotten the better of him and when he heard the woman that the gods had given to him start to proclaim her love for a vile demon… he just couldn't stand for it. "Don't… don't you dare say that you… the demon has tricked you Kagome; it has messed with your mind! I won't… I won't let it happen again I won't! I swear I will break this spell he has over you," Masanori gently brushed the hair that had fallen across her face away; his fingers bumped the bruise on her cheek causing Kagome to flinch, "I promise I will save you Kagome."

Before she could question his words, or smack him across the face for touching her so intimately, a noise outside drew Masanori's attention; it was the sound of men talking a distance away and a smile came to the man's face. "It seems the cleansing is over already and the men have returned… hopefully the villagers have learned from this and will choose the path of the kami now. I must speak with my lord about where we will be moving to next… I will return shortly to you Kagome," Masanori brushed her jaw, ignoring her cringe, and then stood from the futon and left the tent… leaving Kagome alone with her thoughts.

'_Yukio and the others have returned from the village? Does that mean… what about Keade-sama and the others… Inuyasha did they get him? And what are they planning to do with me? I knew something about this group was off and now they've done here what happened in Nobuo's village… what am I going to do?' _

A very depressed Kagome slowly sat up on the futon she had woken up on and hour earlier; tears were streaming down her face, it cooled the sting to her cheek a little but it didn't comfort her with the knowledge she now had. Any minute now Masanori would return to the tent with Yukio to decide her fate… what did they have planned for her?

'_What does it matter anyway… if they have killed everyone why do I care what becomes of me? Oh Inuyasha… you would be so ashamed of me right now… I've become so weak and I don't deserve to be your mate. I don't know what they want of me but I swear will never give into their sick and twisted logic… I will get free of here and I will find you; and the kami as my witness… they will pay.'_

* * *

**Note: Kagome got a little dark at the end... wow. Yes this chapter is a little late after the last one... sorry, very busy Christmas and New Year with work and all. And I know this part of the story isn't even finished yet because there will be a part 3 so don't worry. I have to warn you it will be like the darkest part of the story so far... so it will take me possibly a few weeks to get it finished. I didn't want to cram everything in this chapter because it would have been too sloppy so I cut it off here.**

**Side note: I would like to thank everyone that voted for this story to win on the 'Born for each other blogspot' Friends/Family fic... I'm very honored as it was my first nomination and win ever! So thank you!**

**Thanks to:  
**luis1113  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
CherryBlossom7w7  
phoenixoffireluvsanime  
BugBite14  
edasama **(To answer the graduate life... I'm working a lot at my job lol)  
**mangamichelle12  
KairiAngel13  
corincat331  
DemonQueen17  
sexyinnocents  
HopelessRomantic183 **(lov the long review!)**  
nichellemarie  
Ldsprincess  
InuXKag0.0 **(Thanks for the picture again!... need smexy one next lol)  
For reviewing... lov'em... keep it up!**


	25. The spring of life and death part 3

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that good stuff

**Note: The last part of this chapter is slightly darker than any story I've done... fair warning.**

* * *

Staring into the hate filled golden eyes of the demon with in the barrier, Yukio knew it wouldn't give the information he wanted; but he wasn't worried about it because before sunset he would have the creature talking whether he wished to or not. _'He thinks he is the one in control of this situation but he will see very soon just the pawn he is.'_ With that in his mind Yukio smirked and turned away from Inuyasha to approach the large group of villagers to interrogate them again; if he could put the fear of the kami in them maybe he could turn them to his side if they saw the complete control he had over the demon.

Inuyasha, no longer the priest's main focus, plopped down in the dirt on his backside; he looked over to Miroku trying to come up with some plan to get them all out of here. "Hey monk… how were they able to capture you so easily anyway?"

Miroku bowed his head going over everything that happened that morning, "Sadly I was not as alert as I usually am, remember how I told you the girls had a bad night… well after I returned from your hut I immediately went back to bed; when we all woke a few hours later they had already entered the village. Three men entered our hut, if I wasn't so groggy and had more space I probably could have taken them; but as it happened before I knew it Sango and the girls were in danger and I didn't want them hurt… I should have done something though."

"No what you did was right, your mate and pups come first and I wouldn't want them in trouble," Inuyasha looked over to Sango to see that no harm came to her; as the other female member of his pack and his mate's best friend she was like his sister and if there were any marks on her Inuyasha would hunt down the man that did it.

"Wait… where's the kid?" It was then that Inuyasha realized Kohaku was neither with the group of men or the group of women and children; he also didn't sense the low humming aura that was Kirara's demonic aura while in her kitten form… surely she wouldn't abandon her mistress during this time.

"Kohaku? He left a few nights ago to head to the west… he wasn't very forth coming about it."

'_He went to the west? I wonder if Sesshomaru knows about that; come to think of it I haven't seen him in a month either… I wonder if he went back to.'_ The thought had crossed the dog's mind but he couldn't think about it now; Kohaku was away from the village and couldn't help for the time being. "Well at least he's safe and Kirara won't get caught… but now we've got to focus and find a way to get everyone out of the village safely before these idiots do something. I've got to find a way to get out of this barrier first, with the priestess gone I know I can hold my own against them while you get the people away."

"That would be the ideal plan Inuyasha but we need to get you out first; I don't recognize the old magic and I don't want to tamper with it should it have a reverse affect and harm you… if anyone would know what to do it would be Keade-sama."

'_Yeah the old woman probably helped create this seal… but she's all the way over there and heavenly guarded,'_ Inuyasha was running out of ideas. "Ugh! If only I could destroy the damn barrier!" He extended his legs kicking up dirt and loose stones with his feet; the stones went straight through the barrier making it obvious only non-demonic things could both enter and leave the seal.

"Wait that's it! Inuyasha why not use the Tetsusaiga to get out yourself… it destroys barriers doesn't it?" Miroku thought he had solved the problem, the demonic sword that fought many battles while on their jewel hunting days had broken through many a barrier in that time; but seeing the look of sadness come over his friend's face and his entire frame curl into itself like a wilted flower, maybe it wasn't the best suggestion.

"Yeah… the Tetsusaiga only reacts to demonic barriers… and it doesn't work anymore," the last part of his statement wasn't actually meant be heard by the human ear but Miroku was in tuned to the dog's mumbled words and easily understood.

"W-What… what do you mean your sword doesn't work anymore!"

"Shhh… keep it down monk I don't want anyone to know!" Inuyasha bowed his head in a deep depression just thinking about what has become of his precious sword.

It happened over a year ago a few months after he had taken Kagome as his mate and became a full demon. Most of that time he was in the west helping Sesshomaru straighten out the land disputes among the clans so he didn't need his sword to settle things; not a thing seemed out of the ordinary until he started helping Miroku with the demon exterminations. A rather annoying weasel demon that was haunting a Buddhist temple just wouldn't die with Miroku's sutra; Inuyasha didn't need the Tetsusaiga to kill the demon, seeing as he was strong enough without it; but he decided to use the sword just to keep practice.

Everything was going fine until a few minutes into the fight when Tetsusaiga pulsed like a heartbeat and then returned to its rusted, dormant state just as Inuyasha was about to bring it down on the demon's head. It was like all the power the great sword had completely vanished and wouldn't come back leaving its wielder confused; trying to wake it up again didn't work and Inuyasha couldn't figure out why it was disobeying his command. Not having the time to figure out what was wrong Inuyasha sheathed the sword and disposed of the demon with his claws; he made up some lame excuse to ditch the monk and went to visit the old demon smith to see if he could fix Tetsusaiga.

Well after the initial shock Totosai had with seeing the Great dog general's second son as a full demon, of which his reaction annoyed Inuyasha to the point where he added a few new lumps to the old man's head, Totosai informed him that he had no clue of the sword's behavior and blamed it on the fact that Inuyasha never took great care of the weapon… he got another punch for his comment.

For the next few days Inuyasha would try to use Tetsusaiga on any demon he came across, some were attacking villages others he would just bump into in the woods and they would attack him; but every time he would use the sword the same thing would happen only the time that Tetsusaiga stayed in its full form would shorten until a full weeks later the sword wouldn't even transform at all.

Inuyasha didn't know what to do and not it has gotten to the point where the sword won't even let him touch it; Tetsusaiga sends out a barrier, much like the one it used to use against Sesshomaru that burns his hand should he try to reach for it. There was no point to carry the weapon at his side anymore so it was now in the bedroom of their hut; for some reason Kagome could still touch the sword and the barrier would protect her so Inuyasha left it in her care.

Though now that he was trapped in this barrier and the village was in danger Inuyasha really wished the sword was with him.

"Inuyasha, are you sure Tetsusaiga won't work?" Miroku asked in a low whisper this time; he just couldn't get his head around the idea that the faithful sword wouldn't obey its master.

"Yes I'm sure… it has refused me for some time now."

"Hey you, what do you think you're doing! Don't talk to the demon!" One of the guards overheard the boys and raced over; the man noticed how close Miroku was sitting to the barrier, and with a swift kick to his side he forced the monk to skid across the dirt in pain and away from Inuyasha. "How dare you try to help the demon you coward!"

"Miroku!" Sango watched in horror as her husband cried out in pain as the soldier kicked him; she felt helpless because she couldn't do anything, if she had the Hiraikotsu she could fight her way through the men to get to her love but as of now the boomerang bone was locked away safely in their hut.

Seeing his friend's mistreatment enraged Inuyasha, he wanted nothing more than to rip the man apart, "He wasn't doing anything so leave him alone!" The dog's aura rose at such an alarming rate that his eyes began to tint pink; a very bad sign when he was a half demon.

The guard met Inuyasha's glare head on with one of his own, "Silence beast! This dark monk is a traitor to humanity; refusing to see the light that Yukio-sama is offering him because a creature like you is living!" To emphasize his own anger the solider kicked Miroku again causing him to grunt in pain from the blow.

Yukio could see the hatred in his follower's eyes when he looked at the demon and though he was pleased with the result, showing one's anger was not the way of the gods. Anger leads to chaos and that was the one thing not needed while cleansing a village. Yukio placed his hand on the younger man's shoulder, almost immediately all his tension left him, "Calm yourself my son, you are allowing this demon to fill you with its hatred; you must fight it and allow the kami to return."

Upon hearing his lord's words the soldier fell to his knees and began to cry, "Please Yukio-sama! Please save me from this demon, I do not want to become tainted!"

"It is alright boy the healing process has already begun… you will be saved; now go back to your post and allow those stronger than you to deal with this beast!"

Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was seeing right in front of his eyes; these men were insane and he was the beast?

The soldier graciously thanked Yukio for saving him and returned to his post as order; Yukio's attention then turned to the man lying on the ground. "Don't you see Miroku-san, siding with the demon is the wrong choice… it will only cause pain and you have others to think about," he turned to look at Sango and the babies in her grasp, "I am giving you one last chance my son… come to our side and turn this demon over to the kami, do the right thing."

Miroku, after having the wind knocked out of him, was finally able to catch his breath; he pushed himself up into a sitting position, which was extremely hard to do since he was still tied up, and glared at the corrupt priest. "You're right Yukio-san, I need to do the right thing; but what type of man… what type of father would I be if I began forsaking my friends? I know the right path and it's not yours, and I will not sacrifice his life for my own!" Miroku looked over to his wife with sorrow in his eyes as if saying he was sorry for what was to happen.

Sango understood his unspoken words and smiled; she was not angry with him since she knew she would have done the same thing in that position. She was fearful of what would become of her daughters in this situation but she knew she would not raise them to hate demons like these people did.

Yukio looked at the determined young man and sighed in disappointment, "Are you truly that prideful to admit that you are wrong boy? But I cannot do anything to help you if you do not willingly except the kami into you; it is a shame really I sense great power with you… you would have been a great asset to our group. But I guess we will have to just settle with Kagome-sama's power… with her on our side the demons that plague this world will be no more," Yukio smirked and straightened his robes before moving away.

Inuyasha's ears perked up at his mate's name being mentioned, "Kagome… where is she, what have you done with her!" His hope that she had escaped their raid plummeted into his stomach with the smirk Yukio gave him.

"Ah yes… the lovely little priestess you decided to sink your claws into; I am hoping you didn't taint her too much that we can reset her."

"Reset her… she's not broken! Where is she, tell me where you have her… if you've hurt her in any way I'll slit your throat and bleed you dry," Inuyasha's voice became dark with the growl ripping through his body, his eyes were flashing from white and gold to red and teal every few seconds.

Yukio's smirk grew seeing the demon losing control, "What does it matter to you anyway, you are trapped here… and you should be thankful we are saving her; if Masanori hadn't brought it to my attention how powerful she truly is and that he could turn her to our side she would be over there with the other traitors to the kami."

"Masanori… he has her!" Inuyasha's aura was out of control now; his rage was physically showing itself in the red aura surrounding the dog demon's body.

Yukio had thought he won, the demon was out of control and now these humans would see how dangerous it was… they would easily turn to him for help to save them. He was ignorant of the danger he was in when he spoke next, "Yes he has her… it probably didn't take much to get her to follow him seeing as how soft hearted she is. Masanori is so desperate to save her that he would do anything… and I have given him permission to do just that." He thought his words would bring praise from the villagers but instead it brought the enraged howl from the beast within the barrier.

At the priest's words and what they really meant Inuyasha couldn't breathe… his mate… the love of his life… his whole world… his Kagome… was in danger and he couldn't get to her.

* * *

With her mind made up about her actions; Kagome waited for Masanori to come back into the tent. She was expecting him to be extremely happy over his group's accomplishment in slaughtering yet another innocent village; but she was surprised a few minutes later when he stormed in in an angry rage, she became fearful when his eyes locked on her and he came over.

"The demon… he… he…," Masanori didn't finish, his grabbed fistfuls of his hair in frustration and paced back and forth in front of the futon.

'_The demon? Does he mean Inuyasha… is he okay and that's why Masanori is upset?'_ Before Kagome could ask a woman she had never seen before rushed into the tent and began to speak with Masanori; when they finished she left without even a glance in Kagome's direction which meant she already knew that the girl was being held here.

"That demon of yours is truly cruel," Masanori was facing away from Kagome staring at the tent's entrance while going over everything that just happened in his head.

When he left his priestess in Yukio's tent he had been expecting to greet his master and praise their victory over the vile demon that held the village; but the screams of pain and the guards helping Chieko-sama into one of the women's living areas caused him to panic. When he approached the tent the soldiers were coming back out, "What happened! What's going on, is Yukio-sama alright!"

"Our lord is fine… but the demon attacked Chieko-sama and she is gravely injured you should not go in there Masanori-san," One of the men had warned him but the boy wanted to see what the demon had done to such a strong priestess.

But after going inside he wished he had listened to the warning; Chieko was lying in the middle of the room with many women surrounding her trying to make her as comfortable as possible. One woman was in the in the corner making some sort of paste from herbs while another was preparing many cloths for bandages… which they would need. The smell of burnt flesh filled the room and it was making Masanori slightly sick; and the sight of Chieko's once beautiful face now marred with fire red skin with white blisters and blood from where the burns were so deep caused him to leave the tent.

He had to keep his composer once in front of the men again when inside all he wanted to do was throw up in the nearest bush, "The demon did this? Yukio-sama is alright thought?"

"Yes our lord is fine, he stopped the attack and ordered us to bring her back here, and he is most likely dealing with the beast as we speak."

A sadistic smirk came to Masanori's face when thinking about the twisting pain the demon was probably suffering under Yukio's power at that moment, "Yes well our lord will probably want you back in the village to witness his victory, I sadly must stay here, but the women will tend to Chieko-sama," Masanori dismissed the men and walked back to the main tent where Kagome currently was, his anger boiled within him just thinking about what he saw and knowing the demon that Kagome was giving her love to had done that; he was no fool, he knew Chieko would not live long with those wounds… and that knowledge just may sway Kagome to their side.

"What do you mean by that… Inuyasha is not cruel," Kagome's defense of her demon brought Masanori from his thoughts as he turned to face her; her defiance and determination when involving the creature disgusted the man before her.

"Kagome-sama… truly you cannot be that naïve; demons come up with every type of trick to fool humans… but none of them are innocent. You did not just witness the horror your demon inflicted upon Chieko-sama."

Kagome was offended that he would speak to her as if she were a simple child; she has probably seen more trickery and horror in her one year of traveling across the country than Masanori has in his entire life. "I assure you Masanori, Inuyasha would never harm an innocent person; if he attacked Chieko-sama as you claim then she must have done something to provoke him." Though she was angry, inside she was greatly relieved to know that her mate was still alive in the village… and apparently he was causing quite the trouble. _'Of course when is he ever not causing chaos, he's like an untrained puppy,'_ Kagome smiled thinking about her love's reaction to being referred to as a puppy.

Masanori saw the girl's smile and it made him sick, "I cannot take this any longer; his hold is stronger than any other possession I've encountered… I have no choice." Masanori sent a silent prayer to the gods to spare their wrath for the actions he would have to take to save one of their own from the darkness.

Kagome was violent ripped from her happy thoughts of her mate when she felt a man's hand grip her delicate shoulder and push back forcing her to lay on the futon again. "Wh-What! Masanori… what are you doing… get off me!" She began pushing on his opposite shoulder trying to knock him off of her but Masanori grabbed her assaulting hand and dragged it up to trap it with the other in his left hand.

Now with her completely trapped underneath him and barely able to move Masanori had free rein to do as he wished. "I am sorry Kagome… I had wanted to wait for our wedding night to do this but it seems that only this pure act will cleanse you of the demon's taint."

'_What did he just say? … Our wedding night… he thinks we're … oh god what is he going to do?'_ Kagome began to fight harder against his hold trying to break free but he over powered her; she screamed next hoping someone would hear her and come to help.

"Stop that Kagome or you will lose your voice… no one will enter Yukio's tent without my permission," Masanori reached down to angle her head up, both to quiet her by snapping her jaw shut and to begin kissing up and down the column of her throat. "Your skin is so soft and you must bath quite often for it to smell so sweet."

Tears breeched Kagome's eyes as she fought down the bile in her stomach as she continued to touch her. Her skin crawled every time his chapped lips brushed or he nipped with his teeth at her flesh; she began to panic the lower he went as he was dangerously close to the collar of her top and if he decided to open it he would see Inuyasha's claim mark over her. _'Wait that's it! I'm Inuyasha's mate I can't just let him do this to me without fighting back; Inuyasha is the only man that is allowed to touch me!'_ Kagome quickly ran through everything she remembered while in school that involved situations like this… there was only one piece of information that could help her right now.

Thankfully while Masanori was getting his fill of her neck he released her wrist from the rope that tied her to the post. She completely relaxed and stopped fighting his advances; Masanori was thrilled that she finally realized her place as his soon to be wife. Still holding he brought them to rest on her stomach, trying to make her more comfortable, he then reached forward to her kimono collar and began to loosen it having every intention of opening it to expose her chest… he blushed at just the thought. "K-Kagome, I just want you to know that even during this hard time I will cherish you at you deserve," he stopped disrobing her to caress her tear stricken face.

"You sicken me, trying to force yourself on me! Well I have a surprise for you Masanori-_san…_ I'm not an ordinary village girl," before he could decode her words Kagome thrust her knee into his groin.

Masanori's eyes widened as all the air left his lungs, he couldn't catch his breath because the pain between his legs was so intense; his knees grew weak and he fell on to the bedding as to not crush Kagome with his weight.

Expecting him to move away the second he hit the futon and moaned in pain Kagome shot up and raced for the tent's entrance; despite feeling guilty for what she did she had no intention of looking back. Finally making it outside Kagome couldn't believe that the sun was so low in the sky and that she had spent most of the day trapped here.

'_I need to get back to the village and help the others but which way is it; Masanori got me turned around when he brought me here.'_ Kagome looked around frantically trying to find a rock or tree that looked familiar and could point her in the direction of the village… but there was nothing she could find; the longer she waited the less likely she would find her way since the sun was just starting to fall below the tree line. Running around at night in the forest wasn't her ideal plan so she would have to choose a direction and hope she found her way back to the village or a safe place to hide for the night. With her decision made Kagome made an attempt to the path leading towards a patch of woods but she didn't get far when someone grabbed her roughly from behind. She released a high pitch scream when she was turned around to face her attacker; but before she could say anything else she was once again slapped across the face and this time the recoil threw her to the ground in pain.

Masanori couldn't believe she assaulted him so violently, women were raised to respect men and they were never to fight back or hit men. _'It had to be the demon, it's his influence on her that causes her to act that way; I will simply have to train her like I had to Emi… only I won't lose her.'_ Once he was able to stand up off the futon, though he still had some pain in his groin, he left the tent in search of his priestess; he was relieved to know she hadn't gone far and he stopped her down the path. This time when he smacked her he didn't feel an ounce of guilt even as she fell to the dirt, "Kagome, I am warning you now never do that again; do you know what kind of damage you may have done? You must learn your place before we can marry and if you don't want me to hit you anymore you will learn quickly." She didn't respond or even move from her position which pleased him; Masanori bent down and grabbed her upper arm to pull her to her feet.

"You cannot control me, so don't you dare think you can," Kagome yanked her arm away but his grip was iron clad and he just pulled her back towards him.

"Kagome, you will know your place in this world even if I have to force you into it!" Masanori tried to drag her back to the tent but she fought with everything in her knowing he would finish what he tried to start fi she gave in.

In the middle of them playing tug-of-war a monstrous howl erupted from behind the trees; Kagome shivered as the wave of demonic aura washed over her but what confused her was it had no dark taint within it.

One of the women that was tending Chieko had come outside for some fresh air… only she got a lot more than that when she saw the demon appear above the trees. Her screams alerted both Masanori and Kagome that something was wrong and they both looked in the direction she was pointing; the massive dog howling to the sky just over the tree line was hard to miss.

'_S-Sesshomaru? Is he in the village?'_ Kagome was confused as to why her brother-in-law would be in his demon form in the village; that would only cause panic and give Yukio another excuse to try and cleanse the village. But as she got a better look at the large beast she realized the dog's markings didn't match those of the demon lord; they were very similar but this dog's body was smaller and leaner than the last time she saw Sesshomaru in that form. The demon's aura caressed her again and then it hit her why he looked so familiar. _'Oh god… it's Inuyasha! But how… how is he?'_

Kagome was amazed by the sight in front of her, it was the first time in a while that she was reminded that her mate was in fact a full demon; other than last year when they met their older selves and he could transform Kagome wasn't sure if _her_ Inuyasha could actually do it, he never tried before… at least not to her knowledge. "Inuyasha!"

Masanori was terrified by the giant beast just beyond the trees; it was the largest demon he had ever seen and what scared him even more was the fact that he didn't sense the creature and it got this close to their camp… hopefully Yukio-sama already was aware of it and ready to vanquish the beast. He froze however when Kagome cried out her demon's name so excitedly, _'That's the dog demon… impossible he looked completely human when I saw him last.'_ He looked to the girl again and frowned at the sparkle in her eye, _'No… no I won't let him get away with this… he won't take her from me!'_

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha, I'm over here… Inuyasha hel-," Kagome's pleas were cut short by Masanori's hand covering her month, he wrapped his other arm around her waist trying to lift her up when she was distracted. The second Kagome felt her feet leave the ground her instincts kicked in, she elbowed her kidnapper in the stomach. Masanori grunted and dropped her again but again he snatched up her wrist to keep her from running towards the demon.

"Masanori-san, what should we do!" The woman that alerted him of the demon came running over to await his instructions… she completely ignored Kagome's attempt to get away from him.

"We need to leave now, if the demon has broken the barrier we are not safe here; Yukio-sama has given the order to leave at sunset."

"But Masanori-san… what about the men in the village?"

"They knew what the dangers were when we started our mission… we cannot wait for them; hopefully Yukio-sama can kill the demon and join us in our advancement to the west," Masanori wasn't playing anymore and now he dragged Kagome behind him as he approached Yukio's tent again; the woman quickly ran back to her tent to tell the other women what to do.

Kagome panicked again once in the tent but the man just threw her on the futon once more,_ 'He's going to do this now!'_ She was ready to fight again but all he did was cut apart the rope from before and retied her wrists together; before moving away he tied her ankles together as well… he didn't need her kicking him or worse.

Masanori then moved away to pack a few things in a bag, leaving her lying helpless on the bed with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling. "You are a coward… you're running away because you know Inuyasha can beat you. Once he's finished with your master he'll come after you… you won't stand a chance against him."

"I am no fool Kagome, he is a demon and could easily overpower me; but that is why while he is distracted with the rest of our group trying to escape… you and I will already be so far into the west that he will never find us."

Kagome sat up, with much difficulty since she was all tied up, to stare in horror at him, "You're going to use your followers as scapegoats so you can get away… you are a horrible man."

"I am not horrible… I am smart; Yukio-sama would be proud that I learned something from him. Now don't give me that look, you shouldn't be so surprised really, Yukio-sama only shares his secrets with me and if a cleansing goes wrong then it is everyone for themselves… how do you think he has survived this long, it is certainly not by helping the weak. We have lost many for our cause but they can be replaced with new followers; Yukio-sama has a certain way with words to gain a few new members from each village we come by… how do you think I joined? Now enough talking it's time to go," Masanori strapped the bag to his back and moved to pick her up since she wouldn't be able to walk with her legs tied up.

"No stay away from me, I will not go with you! Inuyasha! Inuyasha help me!" Kagome began to scream at the top of her lungs, but it was drowned out by another bone chilling howl from outside.

"Stop doing that Kagome, we don't want to alert the beast," Masanori grabbed up the sheet from the bed and tore a strip off; wrapping it around her head he made a quick cloth gag to silence her for their travels… she wouldn't be able to scream for the dog now. Once she was secure in his arms he peered out of the tent to see what the others were doing; seeing the women quickly packing their things and completely distracted he quietly slipped away into the forest, Kagome looked back in the direction of where the dog had been but like her hope he too had disappeared.

'_Inuyasha.'_

* * *

Miroku couldn't believe what he had just witnessed, one minute Inuyasha was standing next to him with a look of pure hopelessness as Yukio told him Kagome was in Masanori's hands and the next minute he exploded into a red light; and once that died down a massive white, growling dog was in his place.

It reminded the monk much of the older Inuyasha a year ago while they fought Naraku… but him being in this tiny village wasn't a good idea, just by his size alone he already took out two huts with his back paws. The only good thing about this situation was apparently he overloaded the barrier with his energy and was now free… oh and Yukio looked like he had just wet his robes.

"Yukio-sama! What should we do!" All the men guarding the women and young children raced over to protect their leader from the giant beast; with all of them distracted the women raced over to their husbands and sons to untie them.

"Miroku, what do we do?" After Sango untied her husband she gave him a deep kiss relieved that he was alright.

"You will lead the villagers away from here, head into Inuyasha's forest until I can get him to calm down; I don't know how much of him is actually in there and the rest is pure rage but I want everyone to be safe."

"But Miroku!"

"No! Listen I want you and the girls safe; once he's back to normal we'll go after Kagome… now go!"

Sango was hesitant but finally gave into her husband's wishes, "Alright but you be careful I want you to come back to us… and please make sure she's okay." With a nod from him Sango kissed him deeply one last time before standing and leading the villagers away to the forest.

Another howl from Inuyasha drew Miroku's attention back to the situation at hand; the men had been attacking the dog with their spears and other weapons but it seemed to annoy the dog more than hurt him. They were running around his feet trying to confuse him while aiming the spears at his under belly; but Inuyasha would shift slightly avoiding the weapons, destroying a few huts in the process, and then go after the tiny men with his massive jaw filled with sharp teeth. He was causing more destruction than anyone else; and somehow during all this Miroku noticed that Yukio had disappeared.

'_He slipped away while they were protecting him… they're risking their lives for him and he abandoned them.'_ The pain filled cry and the sound of something hitting wood drew Miroku's back to the battle; apparently Inuyasha threw one of the men into a hut not far behind from where Miroku was standing… the impact killed the human and the hut exploded into wood chips around him.

'_This has got to stop, yes they're a despicable group but he can't just kill all of them… we don't have the time, not with Yukio gone anyway.'_ Miroku carefully approached the dog demon, not wanting to wind up as his next victim. _'How did we do it last time… of course Kagome is the only one that could calm him but she's not here… wait that's it!'_ "Inuyasha! Inuyasha can you hear me!"

The big dog stopped his charge against the remaining men and turned in Miroku's general direction. Seeing the beast stop and not start attacking him meant that Inuyasha appeared to have control in this form where he just went crazy while only having half demon blood.

'_Well at least there's something else good about him being a full demon… what are they doing?'_ Miroku watched in horror as the guards tried to use Inuyasha's distraction to their avenge and attack him; they forgot however about his tree size tail and the moment one of them threw a spear at his thigh his tail came down and smashed a few of them into the closest hut. "Stop attacking him, you won't win! You've already lost half of your men; just leave now or you will all die!"

"If we die then we do so because of the kami's will, this demon will terrorize many villages if it is not stopped… Yukio-sama would be disappointed in us if we were to run now!"

"Your lord has abandoned you now, he doesn't care what will happen to you; and Inuyasha will kill you!" Miroku hoped if he put some type of fear into them maybe they would leave and he could save their lives which is ironic considering an hour or so ago they wanted to end his life.

But these men only saw the demon in front of them not the danger he causes around them; Miroku knew the only opposition left was to get his friend away from here. "Inuyasha listen to me, you're angry because you're worried about Kagome right!" The dog's head whipped back around to face the monk; his blood red eyes cleared to their normal gold hue at the mention of his mate. His large ears drooped and a pained whimper left his throat; he seemed to be trying to communicate but couldn't form the words for human speech in this form.

'_Um okay… I will take that as a yes then.'_ "Inuyasha listen you have to focus she's not here." Another howl left the dog's mouth and Miroku was certain if canines could cry he would be right now. "Inuyasha keep it together this isn't going to help her… we have to find Masanori," Inuyasha gave him a look that screamed 'how do we that.' "Yukio escaped the village when you transformed, if we follow him he's sure to go after the boy and he will be with Kagome!"

The light bulb clicked in the demon's head because a minute later he bolted out of the village in the direction of Yukio's camp… of what was left of it.

* * *

Kagome grunted in discomfort as for the third time since they left the camp Masanori stumbled over a tree root and nearly dropped her. He kept looking over his shoulder in the direction they came from as if he was expecting someone was following them; he continued to shift her weight in his arms because his hands were quite clammy and he couldn't keep his hold on her.

She felt a shiver run through his body as another howl could be heard from all directions as they walked through the woods… it was almost as if he was afraid. _'That's it, of course he's afraid Inuyasha will find us,'_ thinking about her mate brought tears to her eyes again, _'Is he alright back at the village, and why did he change into that giant dog? Is it because he's a full demon now… but he's never done it before; but he was able to do it in the future… maybe it's a new power that he's coming into. But at this rate I'll never know, I'll never see him again if I don't get away from Masanori… but how?'_

Kagome looked ahead of them to see the forest was being too thin out into a small open field; it wasn't much seeing as beyond that Kagome could see a much denser wooded area beyond that… this was her chance. Just before the clearing a large root was up turned in their path and Masanori wasn't paying attention again giving her a chance to escape. Just as his foot got caught in the root Kagome sent her elbow into his stomach again causing him to stumble and fall; this time he wasn't able to right himself and they both went crashing to the ground. He had no choice but drop Kagome in order to brace himself when hitting the ground; she cried out behind the gag as she hit the grass hard on her side and rolled into the clearing.

She immediately sat up, ignoring the pain in her bruised hip, and tried to untie the rope at her ankles; she had to get that off or she would never be able to get away. But she wasn't fast enough because the minute her legs were free Masanori was upon her again slamming her into the grass, pinning her arms above her head again.

"I don't know why you keep fighting me Kagome, damn-it I'm trying to save you! When I cleanse your body you will be worthy of the kami again; you will be our head priestess and we can continue our mission. I will give you everything you would ever want, don't you see you were born to be my wife to bare my children and serve the kami," Masanori caressed her face gently not liking the look of fear in her eyes; he felt he was in a secure position on top of her to be able to remove the gag from her mouth, maybe if she was able to speak her peace it would calm her somewhat.

"M-Masanori please… I don't… I don't know what I did to make you think I wanted to be yours… but I don't… please don't do this."

"Oh Kagome… sweet Kagome I assure you the kami brought us together, I've known we would be husband and wife since I was a child; I've dreamt and prayed that you would come to me and the gods have rewarded me for my trials and hardships… I will treat you like a goddess incarnate." Masanori lowered his head to kiss her but Kagome turned her head quickly exposing her creamy neck to him instead; though disappointed that he wouldn't get to taste her plump, supple lips… her neck was just as good.

Kagome felt sick once more by his actions but she pushed it away trying to reason with him, "Please stop… I will never be yours; I will never love you… I have a husband already and I love him with my whole heart… that will never change."

Masanori pulled away from her body with a heated glare on his face, "That will change Kagome, that demon will die for trying to taint you; he was not your husband Kagome. Did he marry you at your village shrine in a hold bonding ceremony, was there a priest of purity to bless your union; were there people to witness the event and welcome you to the village?"

Kagome couldn't answer at first because her first night with Inuyasha was under the Goshinboku making passionate love; then he made her his life mate… but that bonding was more than the human act of marriage… it meant so much more. And then she remembered the blessing ceremony in her time; the last few hours that she spent with her family there were just what Masanori described as a wedding… so in all ways she was Inuyasha's wife. "Yes… our marriage was welcomed by the gods and you would be the one to taint a holy bond not Inuyasha… you are the demon." Kagome tried to mask her facial expressions but fear returned to her when his face darkened.

"You think I am a demon Kagome… very well then I shall show you how a true demon like your precious Inuyasha treats women; when this darkness is over then I shall forgive you and allow you to be my true wife… by then hopefully you will have understood why demons are our enemy."

Kagome froze at his words which gave Masanori the chance to pry her closed legs apart and rest his lower body completely over her; the crazed look in his eye frightened her and his hardened arousal pushing into her lower abdomen made her sick._ 'He's actually turned on by this! He's trying to force me against my will to lay with him.'_ She fought even harder to try and throw him off of her but like before it was no use.

Masanori was aggressive in his pursuit of her this time, nothing would interrupt them and she wasn't going to hit him; he would have liked that their first time together would be in a hut he built for her or the tent he travelled in but he couldn't be picky at this moment.

Kagome cried out when she felt the front of her haori being ripped open; exposing the white chest bindings underneath, the crisp early spring dusk air caused her to shiver. She felt disgusting being exposed to this man like she was, she couldn't cover herself and she felt like a common prostitute at the moment; with her dignity and respect tarnished this is the first time ever that she has felt tainted. _'This can't be happening… it's all a nightmare, I'm still asleep in my bed with Inuyasha by my side… Inuyasha please save me.'_ Tear flowed freely down her cheeks as she thought about how she was betraying her mate; even if he still loved her Kagome couldn't bear to see the hurt in his eyes when he finds out Masanori force himself upon her.

"Kagome you are truly beautiful… I am so fortunate to be able to gaze upon your perfect body," Masanori leaned forward again and stared kissing up and down her neck; with her haori open now gave him free rein to explore deeper across her chest.

Kagome closed her eyes trying to block everything that was happening to her; in her mind it was Inuyasha above her peppering her flesh with his soft kisses and the occasional nip of one of his sharp fangs caused goose bumps to rise up. She was thrown back to reality though when he spoke and the voice wasn't her mate's deep husky tone when they were intimate.

At some point in the last few minutes Masanori had slipped out of his haori, leaving his chest bare, and now was trying to unclasp the bindings that covered her breasts; as the strips of cloth came loose a smirk came to the man's face as his hand travelled down her flat stomach heading for the ties of her hakama.

Masanori moved his lips back up to her ear and began nibbling on the lobe, "Kagome just think… after this moment we will be as one for the rest of our lives… I promise to make this all feel good for you." Slowly he untied the bow keeping the pants closed but just as he was about to pull them down and release himself of the rest of his clothes he was suddenly ripped away from her body and Kagome was free.

'_W-What… what happened?'_ Kagome was dazed over what was just about to happen to her and then all of a sudden it was over; could it be that Inuyasha saved her. At that possibility Kagome quickly sat up and tried to cover herself; she didn't want Inuyasha or whoever saved her to see her in this state. She couldn't rewrap her chest bindings with her wrists still tied so she merely covered herself with the shredded haori trying to recover some of her dignity; she pulled her legs up to her chest to shield the fact that her pants were untied to, she couldn't hold the haori and retie the bow of her hakama so this would have to do. Once she was certain nothing would be showing she looked around for the cause of her attacker's sudden departure; Kagome didn't have to search for long since not standing a mere three feet away from her was the wolf demon that she saved a few months ago. _'Nobuo.'_

* * *

**Note: Okay I'm sorry this took so long... I said it would be a while but I didn't think over a month! A lot was happening for me in January and some of it not very good; but I won't get into details. And I'm sorry I said I was ending this multi chapter stuff with this chapter(and I had planned on doing that) but I just cut this chapter in half since it was nearly 23 pages long and I have to fix the next part since I started to get bored with the piece I cut off... I began to ramble and I hate doing that because it was boring me to write it so I know it would bore you to read it. But the next chapter after this shouldn't take as long to get up since it's almost finished. **

**I don't like to advertise rape... it wasn't pleasant to write Kagome nearly being so at the end but it needed to be done in order to see how far Masanori has gone off the deep end with his theory of saving her; luckily Nobuo, finally, showed back up and saved her. This is also the first time we see Inuyasha transform into the giant dog that Sesshomaru can; he didn't even know he could until that moment which was a surprise to everyone near him. And we also find out why Inuyasha hasn't been using Tetsusaiga all this time... because he can't; what will become of his precious sword now? I wrote most of this over two weeks ago so I can't really remember anything else but if you have questions please ask them and I will answer. Stay tuned for the finale piece of the battle with Yukio's group coming up in the next chapter!**

**It's quite late so please forgive me if there are spelling errors right now... I will go over the chapter again tomorrow to fix them... thank you.**

**Thanks to:  
**Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
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**For reviewing... loved'em... keep it up!**


	26. The spring of life and death part 4

**Don't own Inuyasha cries... .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_... all that stuff

* * *

Masanori was surprised when one moment he was ready to consummate his marriage with his precious Kagome and the next he was viciously knocked away from her and landed hard across the field. He quickly righted himself, and pulled his haori back on loosely, he stood to face his attacker but arched a confused brow when he didn't recognize the man; movement behind the stranger caught his attention and his glare returned when he realized what he was staring at. "Oh so the dog demon was too busy to handle his own issues so he sent a lackey huh… all you demons are scum."

"We're the scum… we aren't the ones that were just trying to rape another demon's mate; you really have sunk low Seiji." Nobuo was livid, he had been watching the whole scene unfold since that morning; when Inuyasha-sama had been captured by the group Nobuo knew it was up to him to protect Kagome-sama. He hid in the forest when Seiji brought her to the camp but he could not enter or they would all be in danger; he dug his claws into the tree bark when the humans entered the tent knowing it was all a trap but he couldn't do a thing but pray she could hold her own.

Hours… hours he waited to see even the smallest glimpse of her but nothing; he was just about ready to storm the tent when she burst out in what he could only assume was an escape attempt. He waited in the woods pleading in his mind that she come towards him; if she made it to the woods he could get her to safety. Joy like he hadn't felt in a long time coursed through him when she started to come towards him; but then he saw his mate's old husband and growled, he grabbed Kagome-sama and then all hell broke loose. Inuyasha's transformation was a surprise for everyone and Nobuo was the first to admit that he slipped up when he saw the dog; he took his eyes off of Kagome for a second and Seiji took her away.

By the time the wolf caught up with their trail Seiji had her practically nude in the grass; Nobuo's eyes bled red as for a second he was seeing Emi crying under the man and he charged not caring anymore about sneaking around. It felt good to rip the boy off of her and he was relieved that though she was shaken up he could tell that he had saved her from the male's true intentions.

Nobuo's rage was deep seeded and for good reason, to try and force a female to be theirs went against any form of true mating for a demon; only those demons that are controlled by their lust may force those unwilling to be with them to bed. But this was a human and he had already caused his own mate's death… bottom line the wolf was not allowing this man to leave the clearing alive. But despite his anger he couldn't stop the satisfied smirk from spreading on his lips when the male paled.

"H-How… how do you know that name; no one should know that name!" Masanori found it hard to breathe when the demon called him that name; when he joined Yukio's group he had shed his old life and everything that went with it including the dreaded name that caused so much pain for him. But if this demon knew that name then he must have been around his village… when it was destroyed. "You're a wolf demon… but that's impossible Yukio-sama assured me all those vile things were killed when the village burned."

Nobuo glared at the memory of that day, it was chaotic after Emi was purified he had gone insane over losing her and somehow he broke through the barrier and slaughtered many from the group; ironically Yukio, Chieko, and Seiji had not died by his claws. And when his rampage was over and he had nothing else left to kill he collapsed in a pool of blood and waited to die… that of course didn't happen.

"The human you call alpha fled when I escaped the barrier I was placed in… he didn't know what was happening."

"The barrier… it was you… you're the demon that stole Emi… you destroyed my life!" Masanori pulled out a sutra he had been saving in case Inuyasha had come after them; this was different than the ones he used on the dog demon when they first met though. He had stolen the sutra from Chieko's quarters some time ago when he realized his wouldn't work against Inuyasha; the priestess' sutra were inked with the same ancient symbols that the barriers had, this charm already had Chieko's power infused into it as well.

Kagome who was witness to everything that was happening became in tuned to the strange yet extremely strong spiritual power that now surrounded the tiny piece of paper in Masanori's hand. _'What is that, it can't be the same sutra he used on Inuyasha; this one could actually harm a person with demon blood.'_ "Nobuo-sama, get away!" Her warning was too late because Masanori already threw the sutra, "No!"

She couldn't bear to watch a friend and her savior be killed right in front of her; she also had a deep fear that if he did die then no one could stop Masanori from trying to rape her again. She couldn't stand fast enough and interrupt the charm's path by jumping in front of him and so she tried to make her own power to react like the night Sango gave birth; just as the sutra was about to touch the armor plate covering Nobuo's chest her power ignited and the field was filled with pure, warm aura… the charm exploded into blue sparkles and then the light died down again.

Kagome had to rest her head on her bent knees to keep from passing out from her energy loss; everything was spinning when she opened her eyes but she was pleased to see at least two people standing in the field with her, _'Oh thank the kami… he's safe.'_

Masanori was amazed by her power as it engulfed him leaving him feeling warm, content, and empowered; but he was horrified to see the demon still standing when the light deemed. "It can't be… Kagome's power should have purified you… how are you still here!"

"Don't you see Masanori… Yukio was wrong, not all demons are evil; my powers will only destroy those with evil intentions and as you can see Nobuo-sama is still here… he is not evil."

"I'm sorry Kagome but I cannot believe you, demons are born evil there is no other way for them; it is why the gods grant those special humans like you with the power to destroy them."

Kagome finally gave up on trying to reason with the man because he was too far gone to be helped; Yukio brainwashed him too thoroughly to ever change his mind about demons.

With his sutra gone Nobuo felt the boy was no longer a threat and though he would love to remain in the field to finish him, Kagome-sama came first; with her tattered clothes as her only source of protection from the weather, and seeing how the sun would be down completely soon, to prevent her from getting sick he needed to get her back to the village. "Come Kagome-sama, I must get you back to the village where lord Inuyasha is for your safety," Nobuo turned away from the male to help the young girl to her feet; he cut the ropes from her wrists to sever the last binds she had, once free she quickly fixed her pants and got a better grip on her ruined haori.

'_No… no this demon is trying to take her away from me again no I won't allow this… not again!'_ "No! No you will not steal her away again I won't allow it!" Masanori went insane at the thought that the demon was stealing his wife away once more; ignoring his own safety he charged forward and snatched Kagome's hand away from the wolf.

She screamed out in fear of what he would do again as he dragged her towards the forest, "Stop Masanori, let me go!"

Her plea was drowned out by the feral roar of the once calm wolf behind them; with Koga's speed one minute Kagome was being dragged away by Masanori and the next she was braced against Nobuo's chest with the human's pained filled screams behind them. Kagome looked over her protector's wide shoulder and at the moment she wished she hadn't; Masanori was laying in the grass in extreme pain and for good reason… upon his once pristine, muscular back now stood in gory horror of five large claw marks that extended from his shoulder blades all the way down to his hips. The blood pouring from the wound already soaked through his haori leaving it a deep red and he released another cry of agony that had Kagome feeling guilty.

She felt bad for the obvious pain Masanori was in but her guilt was over the fact that now he would be too distracted to try and take her away again. Her euphoria was short lived however when the wolf demon beside her grunted in discomfort and then collapsed to his knees, "Nobuo-sama!"

Though he was didn't voice it like Masanori, Kagome could see the pain he was trying to suppress in his deep violet eyes; his rapid breathing also spoke of the pain much like what he was going through with the seal on his neck. The girl was confused by his actions as she saw nothing physically wrong with him, "Nobuo, what's wrong, please tell me," when Kagome placed her hands on his chest she already knew the answer to her own question; the spiritual power radiating off his body was hard to miss. _'I don't understand was the sutra not destroyed and it's on him somewhere… where is this power coming from?'_

"I knew when Yukio said the demon was destroyed I shouldn't have believed him; he is nothing but a liar… and a coward." The voice from the forest sounded familiar to Kagome but she couldn't place where; she had to hold in her screams of horror when the older priestess stepped into the clearing. It took all the hatred and will for revenge in Chieko's body to help her get this far and keep her standing. Her body has already started to shut down and she knew before this day was over she would die; as her last act in the name of the gods she vowed to take this demon to hell with her.

"Chieko-sama," Kagome couldn't believe the half wrapped bloody body standing in front of her was the once graceful head priestess of Yukio's group; the burns on her body were similar in pattern to those of Nobuo's when he fought against the barrier. This lead Kagome to believe that Masanori lied to her about Inuyasha attacking her; it was clear now that her injuries were due to a purification barrier… not her mate.

Despite his pain Nobuo released a hate filled growl just seeing the shell of the woman that killed his beloved mate; Chieko was the one to ignite the seal that began the purification of the cub within Emi's womb. The humans didn't think of the pain Emi would be in while her child was dying inside of her; Emi also had Nobuo's blood coursing through her body to care for the half breed inside of her… so she too was purified and killed. Nobuo never forgot the priestess that took his family away and today he would be able to gain revenge.

Kagome became worried when the wolf demon forced his body to move despite the spiritual power still within him, "Nobuo-sama please you can't fight in your condition."

Chieko, with her one good eye, glared at the young girl, "I had my suspicions about you from the moment we entered the village; how a dark miko could produce such a clean aura was beyond me… but I knew, you have sided with the demons when you released the half breed from Kikyo-sama's seal. She was a true priestess and you are a disgrace as a replacement."

Kagome was deeply hurt by the acid words and the fact that she was once again being compared to Kikyo and being seen in a bad light to the other woman; but she was used to these feelings and had to just remind herself that her previous incarnation was dead and gone. "I will not speak ill of the dead however the old ways of thinking about demons are in fact out of date; there are plenty of villages that except demons into them and allow their protection when in times of danger. I have seen with my own eyes while on my travels how humans have changed their opinion of demons and I for one am all for it; just because I have excepted demons and allowed Inuyasha to take me as his mate does not mean I am a disgrace or dark priestess!"

"Y-You allowed that vile beast to bed you!" Chieko was aware that Kagome was befriending demons but never had she imagined the girl would willingly bed the dog demon. She quickly came to the decision that the girl was no longer able to be saved despite both Yukio and Masanori's thinking so… with the only clear mind of the group she decided that Kagome too must be sacrificed to the kami to obtain peace. "This can no longer go on; I cannot leave this world with the knowledge that one such as you is tainting the future of humanity," Chieko raised her right arm, the only limb that would function somewhat properly anymore, and drew what little spiritual power she had into a small sphere in her palm.

Kagome had never seen a priestess call upon her power in such a way before, normally they would use a bow for physical attacks; and though it seemed like a small amount of energy she wouldn't be surprised if it had a very damaging effect. Kagome was more worried about the demon beside her than herself with this attack; with being both a human and priestess herself Chieko's powers couldn't hurt her.

"Chieko-sama, please don't do this; you know the truth now Yukio tricked you into helping him but look at what he's done for you. Please if you stop now I'm sure Keade-sama and I can help you," Kagome was tired of the fighting and she didn't want this woman to try and fight when she could barely stand.

"I've known Yukio was a fraud for a long time, that he had no power of his own and that he used me in his ploy to gain others; but I allowed him to since I believed in his mission as well… and I will die on this day and drag the both of you to hell with me!" In her rage Chieko fired off the sphere in their direction and like Kagome thought it held more power than it seemed.

Acting on instinct Kagome extended her hands and tried to produce a second shield to protect Nobuo but the wolf grabbed her around the waist and dove away. "Nobuo-sama what are you doing?"

"You must save your energy my lady and return to the village and to Inuyasha-sama's safety; I will handle this woman."

"Nobuo no, you're in no condition to fight I can still sense the spiritual power within you… if she hits you yo-."

"I was never meant to live long in this world Kagome, not after my mate and cub were murdered… if I am to die then I will be with them in the other world and I welcome it. You however, you have many things that you still must do in this world and therefore you must leave now; the male will not follow." Nobuo looked over to where Masanori was still lying in the grass; his shallow breathing spoke of his near unconscious state.

Kagome saw his determination but strongly protested his orders, "I can't just let you sacrifice for me."

"I am of no importance, do you not understand what I am saying! I must keep you safe, I failed my mate against these humans and when I saw you falling into the same position as Emi I vowed to protect you and keep it from happening; do not make me break that vow and fail again."

Kagome could see the pain in his eyes when thinking about his deceased love and all she could do was nod following his orders finally, "Alright I will go… but please be careful." She turned and disappeared into the forest.

* * *

With Kagome gone and safe now Nobuo could focus on the humans in the clearing and not have to worry about holding back. He also wanted her to leave because he knew she wanted to save the doomed woman and she would have gotten in his way.

"Trying to protect her is useless even if I die, Yukio will know she helped you and she will be hunted down to prevent his mission from being stopped."

"Then you underestimate Inuyasha-sama's strength; dog demons, like wolves, are extremely protective of their mates and he will fight all manners of hell to keep her safe," Nobuo flexed his fingers allowing his claws to glisten in the setting sun.

Even missing an arm Chieko wasn't going to let her guard down around the demon; animals are more deadly when injured, "Than how does that speak of you wolf, the girl that carried your spawn died without you putting up much of a-," Chieko's taunt was interrupted when she had to draw a shield up to stop Nobuo's quick attack; the wolf went feral when the priestess spoke of how he didn't put much effort into saving Emi.

"You leave her out of this wench! If we weren't caught by surprise I could have easily kept her safe; but that is your style is it not, move at dawn when those in the village are just rising… cowards."

Chieko glared as the comment was thrown at her, "I did not approve of Yukio's tact no and I believe that many of the lives that were lost could have been saved to join us; however, it was his decision… I was only to kill the demons and that was all."

Nobuo released his aura and charged at her shield trying to find a weak point to break it and get to her. Chieko was not pleased that she had to use up precious energy to keep the demon away from her but she would do it to protect herself… maybe he would injure himself by continuously running into the pure aura and she could finish him off quickly.

"It puzzles me… how are you able to draw so much power; I remember when we captured you Yukio had me seal your demonic aura."

"Why would I tell you how the seal was removed? I will not be gaining another any time soon," Nobuo was not a fool he knew she was a master with seals and barriers so he would not be getting too close to her… if she were able to slap another seal on him he would be done for.

"So it was removed then… that's why a monster like you protected a priestess; she removed it, she saved you." Nobuo didn't answer only confirming her suspicions as to how the seal disappeared.

The wolf was done talking; he crouched low to the ground and allowed his aura to expand around him. It wasn't as strong as Inuyasha's during his transformation but it had the same effect on the humans; as the dust settled and the light around Nobuo dimmed the fear from Chieko could practically be cut with a sword. The black wolf with the deep violet eyes was only slightly larger than a normal wolf; even with only three legs to stand on he was extremely dangerous, just one bite from his sharp teeth would cause great damage to a human.

"So you've finally allowed you're true form to emerge; it is a shame the dark miko has fled or she could have witnessed the disgusting creatures she is protecting," Chieko would have wrinkled her nose in displeasure had the mere thought of doing so not caused her already weak body great pain.

Nobuo bared his fangs at the woman who was still talking about his friend; this was enough he allowed her to live far too long for what was done to him.

Kagome had never been a good listener and despite everything that had happened to her that day she had not gone back to the village like Nobuo wanted. After walking off into the forest and being far enough away that the wolf wouldn't sense her Kagome doubted back to the clearing to keep an eye on the wolf prince; she didn't like his words when he sent her away, it was as if he planned to not survive.

She nearly gave away her hiding spot when she saw the feral wolf in the field squaring off with the priestess. _'What is he doing, even if she is hurt she still has the power to kill him!'_

And then the real battle ensued between the two; Chieko erected a shield and Nobuo would charge trying to take it down; burns and the smell of purified flesh increased the longer Nobuo continued to attack but he too was getting in his own attacks. Chieko had to drop the shield to launch her spiritual spheres at the demon and every time she did the wolf would get a good attack to her own body with either his fangs or claws.

'_Nobuo._' Kagome was practically in tears seeing the wolf fight; it didn't matter how much his body was taking he still continued to fight. But this wasn't for him, all this pain was nothing compared to the pain he has been going through with the loss of his mate. _'Is this what Inuyasha is going through and that's why he transformed?'_ Kagome suddenly felt extremely guilty for not returning to the village like she was told.

A horrifying scream of pain drew Kagome back to the clearing; Nobuo was now back in his humanoid form towering over Chieko who had collapsed to the ground… she looked to be in far more pain than when she arrived. Chieko cursed her weak body, already she was at her limit and she could no longer stand; everything was shutting down on her and she only had enough energy left for one attack.

Nobuo almost felt sorry for the woman, she looked pathetic and the scent of death that was coming off strongly from her. The wolf was about to approach the fallen priestess and finally end her life but a moan from across the clearing drew his attention; rage engulfed him again when not only did he see Seiji slowly crawling across the ground but the head priest of the group standing a few yards away.

Yukio had slipped into the field while the battle was going on; he was angry with how things in the village turned out and just by looking at what was happening here Masanori had failed too. _'Damn these demons there are no end to them! Our plans… they are ruined now because of the dog demon and those traitors to humanity.'_ "Masanori… wake up my boy," Yukio was sickened by the younger man's condition; it was clear that the wolf had gotten to him… but where had Kagome gotten too?

"Y-Yu… kio-sama… he-lp… me," Masanori was in so much pain it was a miracle that he was still alive.

"Come to me Masanori, overcome this earthy pain you feel and come to me so that we may leave this place and regroup." His master's words of encouragement gave Masanori strength to lift his body from the ground; he moaned in pain as the wounds on his back began to open once more adding more of his blood to the already soaked ground.

Nobuo witnessed the boy crawling on his stomach toward Yukio and flew into a new rage; leaving Chieko on the ground the wolf charged towards the two human males.

Kagome watched as her friend readied an attack at the men but a sudden spike in spiritual energy drew her back to the fallen priestess; she was horrified to see Chieko had gathered enough energy for one last attack and she was aiming it directly at the wolf prince's back. "Nobuo look out!" The girl jumped out form her hiding place and attempted to get in between the woman and the demon.

Nobuo heard someone scream his name and stopped his pursuit of the men to seek the person out; when he saw Kagome come out of the woods he was going to snap at her for disobeying his orders but then he saw the direction she was running and the sphere at the end of Chieko's palm. There was no decision to be made as his body ran on basic instinct; the second Kagome was close enough to him he grabbed her up and shielded her petite body with his from the sphere that Chieko launched.

Kagome cried out when the ball of energy hit the male square in his back; she felt his demon rise up to fight the spiritual power once again coursing through his body. Kagome could hear his pained grunts and could smell the burned flesh on his back; it was all her fault that this happened to him. _'Why didn't I listen to him when he told me to leave?'_ "Nobuo why did you protect me; I could have stopped it."

Nobuo collapsed in exhaustion unable to support his weakened body anymore, Kagome fell to her knees trying to help him but he outweighed her; from her position she got a clear view of the damage done to his back. Like that of Masanori, Chieko's attack tore apart both the metal back plate and the fur protecting his skin; the flesh was burnt and ripped in a nearly perfect circle and blood was flowing freely from the wound and down his back.

"Oh Nobuo," Kagome could see the wolf's normally tanned skin had become pale and clammy and he had broken out into a cold sweat all from the blood loss.

Behind the two Chieko was laying in the grass near death; she was completely paralyzed now after using the last of her energy in that blast… now all she could do was wait and succumb to her injuries. _'I have failed to vanquish the demon… everything I have worked for my whole life has been a waste.'_

"I am truly disappointed in one with your power Kagome; you have lied to us all and cost many their lives… and it is all your fault," Yukio came into the clearing now that the wolf was disabled, he went to his student's side and lifted the boy up shouldering most of his weight on to himself since Masanori was barely able to stand.

Kagome gently slipped away from Nobuo, making sure he could sit up on his own before she did, and then she stood up to face the man that was the cause of all this pain. "I have lied… but my lie was to protect the man I love. I knew of your hatred towards demons and if you knew my mate was one you would try to kill him. Many have lost their lives yes but that was because you murdered them because they refused to see your way! You may be wise Yukio but you are wrong; this whole crusade is fueled by your anger for what happened to your wife. Your way of thinking is corrupt and dark and you have murdered countless in your pursuit to find the justice in that twisted way."

Yukio glared at the girl not liking her accusations of him, "You have much to learn Kagome, and I hope the next time we meet you will see the error of your ways."

'_When we meet next?'_ Before Kagome could protest to his wording, because there would be no more meetings between them, voices could be heard within the forest surrounding them.

"Kagome! Kagome where are you!"

'_That's Inuyasha… he's okay!'_

"Damn that blasted dog he must have followed me here! Well it seems our time together is over for now Kagome but I assure you our destinies are to be entwined again for it is the kami's will!" Yukio dug into the inner pockets of his robe and pulled out several small pellets; he threw them to the ground just as Inuyasha breeched the clearing from the opposite direction. The second the tiny capsules hit the ground they shattered and thick black smoke filled the air around both the men. "Farewell Kagome I trust you will listen to my warning."

"Yukio you sick bastard!" Inuyasha leapt into the smoke intending to kill both humans but when the smoke disappeared he was angry to find that they were gone. "What! That's impossible, where the hell did they go!"

Kagome was so happy to see her mate that she was speechless; she didn't even see when Miroku approached her side until he spoke.

"Inuyasha I don't think now is the time to go after them," the monk could see how upset his friend was about not capturing their enemy, but one look at Kagome told him they needed to find out what happened here first.

"We need to go now or we will lose their scent monk; with all this smoke I can barely pick it up now."

"Inuyasha, we are needed here; we can always go after them later," Miroku was worried about Kagome's physical condition, he saw her ripped clothes and the bruises on her face and wrists and knew when the possessive demon saw her state he may just transform again; the monk had managed to calm him down before they found this clearing and he didn't have the energy to do it again.

Kagome was going to approach her mate but Nobuo's pained coughing caught her attention and she turned toward the wolf to see him throwing up blood on the ground. "Nobuo!" She ran to his side and tried to find some way to comfort him. "Nobuo please don't try to move your wound is too vast, let me try to heal you first."

Kagome reached out towards his back but his hand stopped her advancement, "No, save your energy… there is no point," the wolf pushed her hand away and laid back on the grass; the wound on his back had numbed from the pain it caused before… he couldn't feel anything now.

Miroku watched Kagome go to the demon, he then noticed the other woman laying a few yards away; despite his feelings of hatred towards Chieko for how she was no help with his wife while she was in labor, Miroku decided to be the better man and checked up on her. The monk was not surprised to find the priestess had passed on to the next world; with the wounds she sustained from the barrier Inuyasha was in it was only a matter of time before she died. And with the amount of spiritual energy he had been feeling when Inuyasha and he were making their way here, she was clearly in a battle with the wounded wolf. _'And judging by the fact that the demon is still alive, though barely, and she is not… she lost.'_

Miroku knelt and sent a pray to the gods so that her spirit would find the peace it had not in this life; when Inuyasha calmed down a little more and they went back to the village the monk would have to gather a group of men to help bury the dead.

Kagome could barely hold back her sobs when seeing her friend in the state he was now; he was in pain and dying from his wounds but he wouldn't let her help him. She began to comb her fingers through his tangled bangs trying to give him some comfort during this time. "Nobuo," when the wolf's eyes opened she smiled, "I never thanked you earlier for saving me; if you hadn't been there he would have…"

"I am glad I could help you Kagome-sama… I just wish I could have killed him so he would be no more to you."

Kagome was touched by his words; even hear death he was trying to protect her, "Don't… don't worry about that… you just rest okay; now that Inuyasha is here he'll get them… just rest."

"Kagome?"

The sound of her mate's voice drew Kagome's gaze from the wolf's violet eyes to his amber ones. "Inuyasha."

The dog demon had been angry that Yukio and his lackey got away and was about to give chase; but the soft whisper that was his woman's voice as she spoke to the wolf filled his ears. His soul focus had been on finding the fake priest and killing him for what he allowed Masanori to do to Kagome that he completely missed the fact that she was in the field with them. He breathed in deeply her scent and panic filled him when the smell of her tears crossed his path.

Immediately he abandoned his original plan and turned to seek her out; he was bothered when he saw her kneeling over the wolf but he pushed it down when he saw the condition the other demon was in. He too crouched at the other male's side to look over his injuries; Inuyasha became very interested in their conversation when Kagome thanked the wolf for saving her. _'He saved her… he protected her when I couldn't,'_ Inuyasha's ears drooped just thinking about the danger his mate could have been in while he wasn't there; he also had to quale his rage when he finally got a good look at her physical condition.

'_Why… why are her clothes torn! And those bruises on her cheek… I'll kill that bastard!'_ "Kagome!"

"I'm alright Inuyasha… Nobuo-sama… he saved me."

Inuyasha's eyes were glued to the girl for a long time trying to find out if she was lying to him or not; even with the certainty in her orbs he knew something happened to her and once this was over he would find out. With their silent agreement in place Inuyasha looked to the wolf, "Nobuo-sama… thank you for protecting my mate in my stead… I am in your debt."

"Aa, I only ask of one thing Inuyasha-sama… find them and make sure no other demon loses their mate like I did mine." The dog demon nodded his head, vowing to grant the wolf's dying wish; with his lord's word of honor given Nobuo was at peace and planned to rest as Kagome wanted.

* * *

'_Nobuo-kun.'_ Her velvety soft voice caused a smile to grace his lips; he opened his eyes expecting to only see Kagome and her mate watching over him but to his surprise a little ways away there she was.

"Emi…"

Kagome and Inuyasha had been watching over Nobuo as he slept for a little over an hour; the girl jumped when his eyes suddenly opened and he spoke his dead mate's name. "Nobuo… Nobuo can you hear me?"

"Emi… you're here." Kagome was confused, he seemed to be dreaming but when she called him he wouldn't snap out of it.

"Kagome… who's Emi?" Inuyasha had been sitting by his mate's side keeping her warm as the sun had finally set; he had expected the wolf to not wake up at all so he was curious as to what was going on.

"Emi was his mate that died; he called out her name when I was removing his seal too but this is different. Nobuo can you hear me?"

No the wolf couldn't hear the little priestess' calls; all he saw and heard was his mate calling to him. Emi stood a few feet away in a beautiful white kimono, her whole body eliminated with an unearthly glow; she gave him a smile that made his heart flutter as she extended her arm out to him. It was then he noticed she was holding something in her other hand and he lost his breath when it began to wiggle in her hold. _'No… it can't be.'_

'_Nobuo-kun… it's time.'_

Just from her words Nobuo felt rejuvenated as if it were some healing touch to his aching body. He felt like a cub again and even his broken heart was healed just by seeing her… and their child. Just thinking about the cub nestled in his mate's arms gave Nobuo the strength to stand and move to her side.

"Nobuo… Nobuo can you hear me!" Kagome had a sickening feeling come over her when the wolf's glazed eyes closed without acknowledging her.

Inuyasha sensed the moment the other demon crossed over to the next world and he pulled his mate to his chest to comfort her, "Kagome… he's gone."

Kagome relaxed into her mate's embraced when he held her but she quickly tensed at his words, "W-What do you mean… he can't… he just can-."

"He's gone Kagome; his wounds are too great to survive and without his mate he really has nothing to keep him here."

"But… but we're here… and he has clan with Koga's pack!" Kagome was in tears trying to deny her friend's death.

"Mate… could you honestly ask me to remain alive if something, the god forbid, every happened to you; I would be a shell of my former self if I had to remain here alone," Inuyasha buried his nose into her hair once again thanking the wolf that he saved her.

Kagome cried harder after hearing what her mate would do if she died; she also felt like such a terrible person for being so selfish in not considering Nobuo's pain. _'How could I be so self-centered and not think of what he would have wanted; for months now Nobuo has been depressed about Emi's death and he's wanted to be with her… what I want doesn't matter now.'_

Kagome calmed herself down and stopped her tears when she realized how irrational she had gotten. Once she was able to clear her head again Kagome's spiritual senses awaken allowing her to feel others in the field. She pushed against Inuyasha's chest signaling she wanted space and once he released his tight grip she was able to look around the clearing for who was there.

"Kagome, what's wrong… what is it?" Inuyasha was on high alert by his mate's reaction; his ears twitched a top his head trying to pick up any sounds that someone was there.

Miroku had left a while ago to check on his wife and the villagers, he also planned to gather some men to bury the bodies before they began to rot and spread disease; with him gone that left Inuyasha and Kagome alone with the bodies of the wolf and priestess. And unless one of them planned to rejoin the world of the living the dog and his mate were alone.

"What? What is it?"

"It's like the time we met the soul piper and Mayu in the future… it's that type of sense. I believe there is a spirit lingering among us."

"Keh, well of course Kagome the wolf just died so his soul could still be here," though the thought alone crept Inuyasha out a bit.

"No that's not what I meant; yes I can sense him but… someone else is here… too," Kagome paled when her eyes caught two floating orbs near the clearing's edge. _'That is what I sensed… one is Nobuo's soul and the other… the other must be his mate.'_

"Kagome, what are you staring at?" Inuyasha turned to look over his shoulder and a chill ran down his spine seeing the spheres. _'What the hell is that?'_

As if hearing his thoughts the orbs began to glow brighter and transform; a short time later a very transparent Nobuo stood before the couple… and a young woman was cradled safely in his arms.

'_Wait… he has both his arms, he's been healed and he looks truly happy for the first time since I've met him.'_ "N-Nobuo-sama?" Both spirits looked to Kagome when she called and the girl gave a gentle smile to the living couple. _'That must be Emi,'_ new tears sprung from Kagome's eyes just thinking about how tragically their lives ended; the only happiness they seemed to gain was their meeting in the afterlife.

Inuyasha didn't say a word as he observed the scene before him; he grew tense when his mate began to cry again and so he nuzzled against her cheek to soothe her.

"Kagome-sama, why are you crying? This was how it was meant to be…I do not regret my actions and what they have led to; I am happy now my lady I assure you," Nobuo smiled as his grip around the girl tightened.

Kagome wiped her tears away and smiled again, "Well… if you're happy then I can't be selfish I'm happy you are together."

Nobuo nodded glad that his death wouldn't haunt her for the rest of her life; he had grown fond of her like a pack sister and he didn't want her to be upset. Looking at his cub and mate and with her nod confirmed that their time was almost up he looked to the dog demon. "Do not allow those men to gain another following or they will kill once more."

Inuyasha knew the destruction those two could cause and next time they would fine someone with stronger spiritual powers… he could not let that happen, "I will find them… you have my word."

With the demon lord's word Nobuo felt the pull of the spirit world calling to them; he pulled Emi to his chest to make sure he didn't lose her again when they left. "Protect Kagome-sama with your life my lord… you don't ever want to know the pain of losing her." With that final last word from the wolf Nobuo and Emi began to glow once more and transform back into the round orbs before ascending into the night sky.

Kagome watched as the souls danced and twirled around each other in a beautiful pattern as they rose into the star filled void. When they faded away completely and Kagome could no longer sense them she fell back into her mate's arms and tried to hide her tears.

Inuyasha allowed her to sob into his chest as he thought over the wolf's words; he would never allow what happened on this day to happen again to his mate. _'No… I'll kill those bastards first!'_

"Inuyasha!" The dog turned at the shout of his name to see the monk and a few of the men from the village approaching from the forest.

"Miroku, how is everyone?" Inuyasha stood with Kagome in his arms; she had fallen asleep while crying and he didn't want to wake her.

"All of the villagers are okay, though we lost a few families that Yukio took to join his group… I don't think they will be coming back. But everyone else is fine… we do have a slight problem with living arrangements though. At Inuyasha's confused expression Miroku went into detail, "When you transformed in the village you destroyed several huts with your… paws. There aren't enough for every family to have their own so some are living with relatives."

"Well then tomorrow we'll start rebuilding the ones I knocked down… no big deal," Inuyasha felt bad for destroying the village, he didn't even know that he could transform and he had no way of controlling it; but he would set things right.

"Very well… the men and I will bring Chieko's body and I assume the demon's as well back to be prepared for burial?"

"Bring them but don't do anything with Nobuo's body; I can already smell Koga on the wind he will be here by morning and will probably want the body," with the clearing situation cleared up Inuyasha decided to bring Kagome to their hut; she had been outside too long and he didn't want her getting sick. He wrapped her up in his kimono top to keep the chill of the night air away from her.

* * *

Inuyasha arrived at their home rather quickly as the early spring night temperature drops rapidly and he wanted his mate to be in the comfort of their hut in their bed. However the second he gently placed her on their futon and attempted to cover her with the blanket Kagome shot up screaming and smacked him in the face.

"Ow! Kagome what the hell!"

"Get away! Don't touch me!" Kagome had been in a very lite sleep, with all that happened to her she wouldn't be able to sleep normally for some time. When Inuyasha began to move back to their hut she woke and was completely turned around; when her mate placed her on the bed she thought Masanori had captured her again and brought her to Yukio's tent. Her attack reaction given her panicked state was reasonable… if it wasn't her mate there trying to put her safely in bed.

Inuyasha panicked when she began to scream bloody murder and was fighting his attempts to calm her. "K-Kagome… Kagome what is wrong! Mate stop it's me!" He was finally able to grab her flying hands and pinned them to his chest so she wouldn't hit him again; he watched as her eyes finally opened and she looked around the room frantically.

"I-Inuyasha?"

"Yes woman it's me," he gently combed his claws through her tussled hair to comfort her.

She burst into tears again and dove into his chest, "Oh Inuyasha, I was so scared… I thought I would never see you again; I thought they had killed you!"

"K-Kagome… Kagome they couldn't hurt me, Shippo's got more spiritual power than any of those men combined, there's nothing to worry about… I won't let any of them hurt you," he pulled her close and buried his nose in her hair, it was at this time that Inuyasha picked up Masanori's scent on her; during all the fighting and Nobuo's death Inuyasha didn't have the chance to completely look her over from when she was with the human. _'Why is his scent on her hair and skin, and her clothes were ripped… did the human do something before the wolf got there!'_

The anger insider Inuyasha rose again when his beast smelled the sent markers the human left on his mate; he wanted nothing more than to replace the man's stench with his scent that should be the only one on her body. But he pushed those dark thoughts down seeing as how traumatized his mate was he wouldn't force her to do anything right now. But in order to keep his word he would have to leave the room and get some fresh air to calm his blood; he may even have to leave the hut for a few hours because her scent would fill every room soon and he couldn't trust himself until she bathed.

Inuyasha gently untangled her fingers from his robes and tried to make her lay back down, "Kagome you need to rest… calm down and go to sleep."

The frazzled woman did as her mate wished but the moment he stood from the futon and movement toward the door she shot up again, "Wait! Please Inuyasha… please don't leave me!" Her pleas nearly broke his resolve; she sounded so vulnerable and weak that his over protective dog nature was clawing to get its way out of him.

He wanted nothing more than to join her in bed but Masanori's scent was reaching him even this far away, "I'm not going anywhere Kagome, I'm just going to look over the damage the village sustained and make sure no rouge demon is lurking in the forest… I'll be back in a little while." It wasn't a complete lie, he was going to make sure the demons still knew he was protecting this village; but he was itching to get out of the hut and breath.

He lost what air he had in his lungs when he felt Kagome slam into his back and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist. "Please… please don't leave… I… I need you." Her wanting cries stirred up something inside of him, he could feel his eyes bleeding red again as the more feral side of him tried to come out at her words.

"Kagome stop this!" Inuyasha fought to get her away from him, her touch was setting his skin a flame and he needed to get away before he did something he would regret; he pushed her away a little harder than he meant to and she fell back on to the futon. "Kagome!"

Shocked by his reaction, Kagome remained in a kneeling position on the bed, tears once again streaming down her cheeks at his obvious rejection. _'He… he doesn't want me anymore; because of what Masanori did now Inuyasha doesn't even want to touch me… he can't even look at me… what am I going to do?'_ Kagome shivered at the memories of what the human did to her.

"K-Kagome… mate I'm sorry I didn't mean to-."

"Is it because of what Masanori did that you don't want me anymore?" Kagome's clouded eyes looked to him for answers and his heart broke at her sadness.

"What? Kagome what are you talking about… what did he do?" Inuyasha ignored his discomfort and knelt in front of her to get the answers he was dreading; he reached forward to caress her cheek but she flinched away when he brushed one of the bruises on her face. "Kagome… tell me what he did." Even while crying she felt embarrassed about the things the other man did; it wasn't her fault and she fought all she could against him but she still felt like she betrayed her mate. "Kagome… tell me."

Kagome couldn't keep it bottled up anymore, it was easier to ignore what happened to her earlier because she was focused on Nobuo's injuries and eventual death; but now that he mind was clear it all came crashing down on her. "Inuyasha… he… he k-kissed me, I didn't want him to but he was too strong. A-And… he was trying to… to remove my clothes to… Inuyasha h-he touched me!" Kagome wrapped her arms around herself as she shook fiercely from her hard sobs; now that it was all out she had expected Inuyasha to be disgusted with her and run away in anger. She wouldn't blame him of course, she was tainted now and no longer deserved him… she closed her eyes and cried not able to bare the look she knew was on his face.

This time Inuyasha's eyes did flash completely red as he saw how upset his mate was over this; he could smell the fear and shame on her and he couldn't understand why. _'Does… does she think I would blame her for what he did!'_ Of course Kagome would because she always took the fall for everyone else's actions, it was in her personality to make others feel better; and by him trying to run away before didn't quale her fears. _'Damn way to go you idiot you're supposed to be comforting her during times like this not hurting her!'_

Kagome nearly turned inside herself with grief when two strong arms wrapped around her body and a warm chest was pressed against her back; a chill ran down her spine as she felt the warm breath on the back of her neck… though unlike this afternoon it was a very welcomed chill. "I-Inuyasha?"

At the sound of her voice his tongue slipped passed his lips and started a trail from the base of her neck to just below her jaw, "You think just because that human forced himself on you that I would think you were tainted? You forget Kagome, I was the half breed you lowered yourself to accept as your mate… you could never be tainted to me."

Even with his words Kagome still felt dirty like Masanori's hands were skimming all over her body… she wanted to erase those memories but she knew she never could; no she couldn't wipe away what happened today… but she could replace those images with much more pleasant ones, once that she would want to remember. Kagome broke free of Inuyasha's hold and turned to face him; his confused expression caused her to smile… he was always so cute with that confused stare.

When his mate broke out of his embrace Inuyasha thought she was going to leave the room but when she simply turned around to face him he grew confused; when she slipped out of his kimono top and the tattered haori she had underneath, leaving her chest bare for his gaze, he got some idea as to what she wanted. "Kagome… I don't think-."

"Shh… please Inuyasha there are things about this day I don't want to remember; I want you to erase them for me… please. All I want to remember is your body entwined with mine in our bed… please," She didn't really let him answer as she pressed her lips against his; her body fit to his perfectly and he wrapped his arms around her waist practically crushing her soft flesh to him.

When they finally broke for air Inuyasha had to ask, "Kagome… mate listen to me you don't understand what could happen here." He had to keep his thoughts straight since when they parted Kagome went for his neck and began kissing and nibbling the skin, clouding his mind and arousing him farther… clearly she wasn't listening to his word of warning.

"Hmmm… I don't care… I want you so badly," her moans caused his ears to twitch and he accidentally scraped his claws against her back which caused her to purr.

"K-Kagome listen to me, that human's scent is all over you right now and I'm doing everything I can to keep me from jumping your bones and showing that human who you really belong to," Inuyasha's voice dropped an octave while he spoke as he buried his nose into the area of her neck that he already reclaimed; a deep growl vibrated in his chest at the possibly of what was to come if she continued.

Kagome pulled away from his neck as she felt his demon rise and she smiled to him again, "I'm not stopping you my love… do whatever you need to to have your scent all over me," she kissed his nose and waited to see what her demon lover would do.

Later that night the entire village was awoken to the vicious howls of a wild beast; and under the howls, to those with sharper hearing, one would be able to hear a young woman in the throes of passion enjoying the efforts her lover was going through to make this horrible day a little better.

* * *

**Note: Okay this would have been out hours ago but the site was down with no notices and I couldn't put it up. I know many people reviewed in the last chapter about how Inuyasha and Nobuo should get Yukio and Masanori/Seiji in this chapter... and that didn't happen; but hey think about it Inuyasha didn't kill Naraku the first time he came across him... if he did there wouldn't have been much of a story. So sorry to everyone that wanted them gone; they will be back sometime in the future. I thought I should give you a little steamy scene at the end for not killing Yukio and Masanori yet so I hope that makes up for that. And this ends this part of the story, finally, the next chapter will be a turning point for the main characters which I know everyone will like and I've already started it so yay!**

**I'm sorry I killed Nobuo... he was such a good character to me and I'm sad to see him go; but his time was up in the story and he's in a better place now with his mate and cub so everyone should be happy.**

**Once again I've been nominated for an award on http:/ bornforeachother .blogspot .com / (no spaces) for best drama this time; the voting I think ends tomorrow so if you could stop by and vote that would be awesome!**

**Thanks to:**  
phoenixoffireluvsanime  
corincat331  
HopelessRomantic183  
Ldsprincess  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
Elantina  
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KairiAngel13  
IDoInuyasha31  
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**For reviewing... lov'em, keep it up!**


	27. Shippo's gift

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

**Note- This chapter may be a little confusing since it's split between two different times. The first part is about three months after Yukio's attack; most of the middle is set a few days after the attacks, and the last part is back in the present months after. In the present time it's about late spring so around May when the attacks themselve were in early-mid March... hope that helps.**

* * *

Kagome was sitting outside of her hut enjoying the late spring sun and the warmer weather it brought with it. Flowers were in bloom as well as a few herbs and vegetables in the garden; the young woman had just spent the last few hours pulling weeds and now she was taking a break as a cool breeze blew through the clearing her hut resided in.

While enjoying a nice drink of water her mind was buzzing with what has happened these last few months; the very beginning of the season was tragic with the loss of her friend in the wolf demon Nobuo and what happened that day. But it wasn't all a bad day, Kagome still blushed at the memories of that night… who knew Inuyasha could be so wild and feral and the things he could do with her body.

'_I never thought my mate had such a perverted side to him… I think he's been hanging around Miroku a little too much; god some of the things he did would probably put the Kama Sutra to shame,'_ her face reddened again when thinking about the passion and love Inuyasha gave her that night… that was the only good thing about that day or the few after.

* * *

Kagome remembered the next couple of days after Yukio's group attacked as being very hectic; of course when the couple had made their way to Kaede's hut for breakfast the next morning Miroku brought up the commotion from the previous night.

"So my friends I see you slept well last night yes?" The monk's question the second they entered the hut and his knowing smirk made Inuyasha uncomfortable.

"Yay we did… what about it?"

"Well I'm surprised you didn't hear it."

Kagome knew where her friend's train of thought was going and she chose to ignore him; she busied herself with helping Kaede serve the food.

Inuyasha tilled his head and his ear twitched as he thought over the question; he was momentarily distracted when his mate handed him a bowl of food but once he began to eat the question rolled around in his head again. "Hear what monk; I didn't hear anything last night."

The smirk on Miroku's face grew and before his wife could stop him he sprung the question on the unsuspecting demon, "Oh really… you didn't hear the demon howling quite loudly last night? Huh I thought your ears could pick up anything… just what had you so distracted that you didn't hear Inuyasha?" The piece of fish the dog demon had just put in his mouth came flying back out which displeased both young women around the fire.

"Inuyasha!"

"Miroku!" Both women berated their husbands for their rude behaviors which had Kaede laughing… it was good that this young group could bounce back after what happened the day before.

"What the hell monk!"

The dog demon was beat red with either anger or embarrassment Miroku wasn't sure but he was loving every second of it, "Why whatever do you mean my friend? I was merely asking a rather simple question about a demon that could be a danger to the vi-."

"There wasn't no demon… trust me," Inuyasha wanted the conversation to be finished but just seeing the monk's sly grin he knew a threat of a beating wouldn't stop the humiliating questions.

Luckily Sango saw how uncomfortable her friends were by her husband's constant harassment; she smacked Miroku's arm to shut him up, "Stop teasing them Miroku," she passed Takara into his arms to distract him while she fed Aki her breakfast. With the monk distracted with his daughter, who was just staring her hair pulling stage and her favorite at the moment was daddy's pony tail at the nape of his neck, he was in too much pain to ask about the howling again.

After breakfast was finished the boys set out to survive what needed to be fixed in the village; several huts had either been damaged or completely destroyed. "I did all this yesterday?"

Inuyasha did remember what happened when he transformed this time, unlike when he was a half demon, but he was so focused on Yukio and his men he didn't notice where he was stepping.

"Yes Inuyasha, and let me say it was a good thing you were in control otherwise the whole village could have been destroyed; but we are grateful that you did what you did because there's no certainty as to what Yukio had planned."

Inuyasha knew that the fear the fake priest had put them through was the only reason the villagers hadn't been too upset about the mess… still he did feel horrible about it. "Miroku listen I want to help rebuild the huts but I made a promise to the wolf to go after Yukio and Masanori; I need to start searching for them or they will disappear. I need to put an end to them before they gain a new following and come back."

"I understand my friend and I didn't expect you to; the men can fix the huts but we do need wood to do that… we were hoping you could find the trees we could use."

Inuyasha held in his groan of displeasure for not leaving last night, not that he regrets staying with his mate mind you; but all this has already put a half a day in Yukio's favor. But he couldn't been too selfish since he was getting out of clean up duty so he would go into forest and cut down a few strong trees for the wood. "Yeah monk I'll get on that; just tell the villagers to stay out of the forest till I come back."

* * *

Inuyasha spend a few hours looking for the best trees and cutting them down to be harvested; he hadn't meant to waste so much time but he wanted to make sure these new huts were built like his own, able to withstand the harsher weather this land got during the warmer season. By the time he got back to Kaede's the sun was already setting, he was in a bad mood and apparently they had a few northern visitors stop in while he was gone.

"What the hell are you doing in here wolf!" Inuyasha recognized the mangy wolf's scent from anywhere and though they were no longer really rivals anymore the dog demon was still uncomfortable with other males around his mate while he wasn't there.

"Inuyasha watch your language!" Kagome glared at her mate when he came barreling through the reed door cussing up a storm about their guests. And indeed like Inuyasha's nose told him the leader of the northern wolf clan and his mate were seemingly in some kind of conversation with Kagome.

"Keh Kagome, where is everyone else?" Inuyasha ignored his mate's warning about his language and came over to sit between her and Koga since he felt the other male was too close to his woman.

Kagome rolled her eyes at his over protectiveness, "Sango took the girls home a while ago to set them down for a nap and Kaede-sama was called to Shika's hut because one of her children became ill. Koga and Ayame came into the village and I asked them to join me while I waited for you," she explained just as a sound from the other room caught her mate's attention.

A second later a child not even a year old came running into the room from the sleeping area; judging by the white fur pelt she was dressed in and the light brown tale sticking out of it that the cub had to be little Sayuri. The little cub went straight to her mother with a mixture of gurgles and soft yips telling the older female, in their native tongue, all about what she found in the this new place; after receiving a smile and a nuzzle of encouragement from her mother the child then turned and her light green eyes locked on the new comer.

Sniffing the air cautiously and deeming it safe to approach the little girl slowly walked up to Inuyasha; when she made it to his side she turned her head one way then the other while her mind tried to process what she was smelling. It took a few minutes but suddenly a smile came to her chubby little face, she turned back to her mother and released a high pitched yip that caused Inuyasha to glare and Koga to burst out laughing.

Kagome was confused by both males' reactions to the bark and Koga suddenly falling over that she looked to Ayame for help but she had a light blush to her cheeks and her hand was covering her mouth to hide the smile on her lips. "I'm confused… what did she say?"

Sayuri heard Kagome's soft voice and immediately ran over to her side wanting to sit in her lap, she began to crawl up as her tail wagged in excitement; Kagome thought the child was too cute and was more than happy to allow her to climb up.

Ayame was able to stop her chuckling and answered the other woman's question, "She called Inuyasha a… well she called him what you humans would call a pup." Having his mate bring it up again caused Koga's laughter to erupt louder than before… and Inuyasha to growl in his throat.

"She called him that… but all she did was bark?" Kagome looked to the child in her lap; Sayuri had her head lying on Kagome's chest as she rested comfortably… apparently, like her father, she enjoyed the woman's scent too.

"She speaks in what you humans may call canine language; the yips and barks mean words to us, cubs can speak this language from birth so we can communicate… she will learn the human tongue in time like the rest of us have," Ayame explained while she watched her daughter lightly nap on her friend.

'_They speak another language, so I guess that Inuyasha does too… I wonder if our children would have that ability,'_ A smile came to Kagome's lips as she imagined her mate barking and yipping at an infant Inu; while thinking it over she gently petted the cub's soft brown hair watching as how her little tail wagged happily at the attention.

"You hear that mutt face… my cub's a genius, she knows your exact place in the canine spieces… I hope this next one is just as smart."

"Keh all she did was state my species which isn't hard to- wait a minute… this next one?" Koga's words shocked Inuyasha out of his anger, he looked to the female wolf demon and it was then he noticed the rather long fur cloak she was wearing that shielded most of her body.

Becoming the center of attention so abruptly caused Ayame's cheeks to burn again; she pushed the cloak aside, relieving her very large protruding belly to the other couple.

"You're pregnant!" Kagome couldn't believe her friend was expecting once again, she was happy for both the wolves and prayed to the kami for a healthy baby.

'_She's… she's pupped again… what the hell!'_ From the corner of his eye Inuyasha could see the smirk on Koga's face; already the dog was dreading the bragging the wolf would be doing the minute they were alone.

"That ain't all," Koga leaned over and put his hand on his mate's belly, "I can smell two cubs this time."

"Twins! Oh congratulations you guys I'm so happy for you."

'_Yeah… joy,'_ Inuyasha felt sick to his stomach just thinking about the fact that his once worst rival will have three pups while he still has none. _'This day can't possibly get any worse.'_

* * *

Oh and it did get indeed worse when Koga wanted to speak to Inuyasha about Nobuo's body; the wolf was not aware of the friendship his clan's man and his past love interest shared, so when she began to cry Inuyasha freaked out and threw the wolf out of the hut.

"Well how was I supposed to know they developed a friendship? The last time I saw the bastard he nearly attacked her because she had spiritual power," Koga rubbed his bruised neck that the dog happen to grab when throwing him out the door.

"He attacked her… you let him attack her!" Now Inuyasha had a whole other reason to be angry with the wolf.

"I didn't let him attack her, and we're getting off topic, when did they become friends? How long was he hanging around here anyway?"

The dog demon quailed the urge to hit the other male for the moment, "What needs to be answered first is where the hell have you been? Sesshomaru said you went to the south and then you dropped Nobuo off here… then you disappeared; do you have any idea what went on here yesterday!" Inuyasha pinched the brim of his nose feeling a headache coming on from just remembering the stress from the previous day.

"Look when we got word of what happened in the south I took a group of my men down there to retrieve the bodies of or comrades and put them to rest properly in the ancient burial grounds of the wolf demon tribes; we didn't expect to find anyone alive so when Nobuo was found under a collapsed hut we were shocked. The seal on his neck prevented us from touching him without our energy being drained; we needed to get it off or he would have died… the only person I could think of was Kagome so we brought him here. The plan backfired however when that stubborn old ass tried to attack her; I don't blame him for his reaction because of what happened but Kagome's aura has never been threatening towards us so he shouldn't have charged at her. When it looked like he would refuse her help I brought her back to your hut, when I got back to where we were staying in the forest he was gone; I thought he had gone off to be alone for a while and so we waited for him to return despite Kagome's warning to leave because of the human group that was here. We he didn't come back and so I thought he died; we couldn't stay here since with the coming snow it would have been impossible to get back to the northern dens, plus I needed to be back for Ayame… we just found out she was cubbed again when I left so I needed to return to her; when the snows started to melt and it was safe to travel we came down to check up on your village since I didn't know if you were back yet. Obviously something happened when I could feel your aura at the border so we got here quickly… apparently you got everything settled yes?" Koga looked around the village noticing the damaged huts and giant paw shaped holes in the earth that the village men had already start to fill; it was clear there was a battle recently.

"Feh barely… the two leaders got away and I need to go hunt them down; I nearly lost Kagome to them," Inuyasha bowed his head not in the mood to see Koga's reaction to his words.

"You did what!" The wolf's shout caused several of the villagers that were nearby to jump in fear.

Inuyasha noticed and smelled the humans' rising fear at the wolf's loud shouts and knew he needed to quiet the other demon; the mortals may have been use to him and his temper but they were still uncomfortable with new demons popping in and out of town. "Will you keep your voice down you flea bag; the whole village don't need to know my business!"

"Don't tell me to be quiet when you nearly lost Kagome to a bunch of weak humans… explain yourself now mutt."

Inuyasha moved away from the hut knowing their conversation was most likely being over heard by the women inside; he didn't want his mate upset again about what happened the previous afternoon… he had managed to replace most of those memories with new ones so he didn't want them brought up again. "They took me by surprise that's all, I underestimated the priestess they had with them; no surprise but they stole some sort of scroll from a temple that had contained a powerful sealing barrier. They trapped me in the village while Masanori took Kagome away; if Nobuo hadn't gone after them…"

"Will humans stop at nothing, trying to steal a demon's mate is punishable by death and you didn't get them?"

A deep growl ripped from Inuyasha's throat, "Let's get one thing straight I will get them for what they did; Kagome and I sat with your pack member as he died last night and then I needed to comfort my mate and take her mind off the fact that she was nearly raped by that disgusting bastard! So don't jump on my back because I couldn't rush out there and get them last night." Though meaning to keep his voice low Inuyasha got riled up and started shouting too; his voice was so loud that both Kagome and Miroku came outside to try and calm him down.

Once he wasn't going to rip Koga's head off everyone returned into Kaede's hut to talk about Nobuo…or tried to at least.

"He will be placed with the rest of his clan in the burial grounds; that is where all the wolf demons go when they die," Koga wasn't pleased with what both Inuyasha and Miroku were suggesting happen with the body.

"We're not saying you shouldn't place him with your clan's men it's just… we want to know if his mate will be there as well," Miroku could sense the mounting anger coming from both demon males and he wished to calm them down before another battle would ensue, he was certain the village and its people couldn't handle anymore destruction.

The wolf demon folded his arms over his chest in a defiant manner not liking the question, "Well of course she ain't there, one her body was purified which left nothing but ash as most of the other humans… as well as our brethren; what we could gather, that the wind didn't take away, we buried in the ruins of the village. The bodies of the wolves in the forest we took to the north; the human female that was his mate is buried in the village since she wasn't a wolf therefore she doesn't belong resting in our grounds."

"That's bull and you know it, the minute he took her as his mate she became part of his clan and therefore yours along with all the other females that bore pups for your men!" Inuyasha would have jumped over the fire pit to punch the arrogant wolf had Kagome not been holding on to his arm so tightly to keep him in his seat.

"Look mutt it's got nothing to do with me; if those old bastards knew I allowed humans to even set foot on the grounds I would never hear the end of it."

"Watch it Koga, my grandfather is one of those 'old bastards', and I'm sure if I talked to him he would listen," Ayame wasn't pleased that her mate was bad mouthing her grandfather and the other elders of their clan but she did feel horrible for the girl; being mated herself she could never imagine being away from Koga even in death.

"Oh would you Ayame, would you talk to your grandfather and the others on Nobuo-kun's behalf? I fear he will not be able to rest peacefully if Emi-chan is not with him," Kagome remembered the happy image of Nobuo and his mate the night before and she didn't want his soul to be pulled away from her if they are buried separately in this world."

"Ayame, even if you get their permission how are we supposed to find the girl's ashes… we buried them all in the village destruction," Koga was hoping the girls wouldn't ask him to go and find the exact spot where the ashes were buried… it would be impossible to do so now with so many months behind them.

"You're right… you won't be able to find them Koga," Kagome knew with all her future science that none of the ashes would still be present in the village after nearly two seasons. "But maybe… maybe with your elders permission Nobuo could be put to final rest in the village he spent most of his life in; that way he could always be with his mate." Kagome brought Inuyasha's hand into hers entwining their fingers as she snuggled into his shoulder.

"Oh Kagome that's brilliant! Yes I shall do that the moment we return to the dens, I'm sure grandfather will grant this wish if I ask him," Ayame gently rubbed her large belly knowing that if her word wouldn't sway her grandfather then the two cubs in her womb and little Sayuri would.

Koga bit his tongue knowing not to bring up the fact that the girls blew over the fact that the southern prince should be buried on the clans' grounds; but he knew not to upset his very pregnant mate at this time.

* * *

Once all the disputing was settled it was dark outside, Miroku had returned to his family and Inuyasha wanted to take his mate to their hut; seeing as both Kaede and Rin were apparently staying the night with the sick child, the elderly priestess wouldn't mind if the wolf couple stayed the night in her hut. Inuyasha wasn't too pleased that Koga was staying in the village but Kagome simply ignored him and bid the family a good night.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" On the way back to their hut Kagome could sense the tension coming from her mate and she wanted to know what was bothering him.

"What? Oh yeah… I'm fine Kagome… don't worry about it." Not wanting to anger him when they were on such peaceful terms so she remained quiet for the rest of the trip.

Upon entering their home Inuyasha went straight to the log pile to restart the fire in the pit to warm the hut; Kagome went to their bedroom to prepare the bedding for the night. When she returned to the sitting room she saw Inuyasha's gaze fixed on the dancing flames even as she approached his side.

'_Now I know something is bothering him if I couldn't get his attention the minute I stepped into the room, the real problem is getting it out of him.'_ Kagome thought her next few moves over carefully as she knelt by his side, and took his hand into hers. "Inuyasha, I know something is bothering you… please will you tell me?"

The demon tore his eyes away from the fire to look at his mate, for a second he was mesmerized by the lights and shadows dancing across her face before he answered her. "It's nothing mate… don't worry," he gently caressed her cheek but it didn't work to distract her this time; she could see plain as day that he was lying.

"My love… you've always been a terrible liar," Kagome placed a kiss to his reddening cheek; he would tell her soon so she wouldn't push him.

About half an hour after Kagome went to bed she felt the futon shift and then a strong arm wrapped around her waist as her mate spooned against her back; she placed her hand on the wrist that was lying on her stomach to keep him from moving. "Can you believe how big Sayuri has gotten in only a few months… and Ayame is pregnant again… Koga is working very hard to get his clan restored huh?" Kagome giggled trying to make light of the conversation when she felt Inuyasha tense up behind her… she knew her mate so well.

"Kagome…"

The young woman turned to face her lover and began to run her fingers through his silvery locks, "You're worried about what Koga having so many kids aren't you… Inuyasha I thought we agreed to let nature take its course when it involved having children. My love why do you worry about that… we have all the time in the world."

Inuyasha didn't want to say anything to that for fear of worrying her; but the truth was they didn't have all the time in the world. He couldn't believe it had already been nearly three years since he was released from the sacred tree and met Kagome; now she was months away from her eighteenth year of life and still have no children. At first Inuyasha didn't let the villagers gossip bother him but now that Koga was having twin pups it dawned on him again how far behind he was; Kagome would eventually by too old to have pups.

And with the new task put before him the dog demon was seeing their opportunity to have pups slip by them; chasing Yukio will be like hunting Naraku all over again… only ten times harder since the humans could blend into any village they chose.

'_And I don't even know which direction they took off in last night; even with Masanori gravely injured Yukio could have dropped him off somewhere and took off… it's going to take months to track them down and we don't have that kind of time.'_

"Inuyasha… you in there?" Kagome poked her mate's forehead to get him to focus on her again since she could see he was somewhere off thinking; she smiled when he blinked and an ear twitched to show that he was back with her. "Hey… where'd you go?"

Inuyasha pulled her into his chest and buried his nose in her hair, "Nowhere… I'm here with you."

Inuyasha didn't sleep at all that night, he laid awake in bed watching his mate sleep at his side; he couldn't stay focused on her beauty in the moonlight though because his mind was buzzing about possible places the humans could have went to hide. He dosed off for about an hour but as the sun crested the hills beyond the village his eyes shot open when his brother's scent was carried on the wind.

'_Now he shows back up.'_ Making sure not to wake Kagome and doing a quick sweep around their hut to make sure no one was hiding nearby, Inuyasha made his way to where Sesshomaru stood on the cliff that over looked the town.

"It always amazed me how you seem to show up after everything happens; you claim to be the strongest yet you never have the opportunity to show that power."

"What are you hollering about little brother?" Sesshomaru never took his eyes away from the village; his sharp eyes could see the damaged huts and his keen nose could already pick up the smell of death from the freshly dug graves just outside of town.

"Oh I don't know maybe the fact that you suddenly decided to up and leave after telling me Kagome may not be able to have my pups got me a little pissed off!"

"If I remember correctly I merely informed you that the human breeding potion you were brewing would not have any effect."

"Keh, whatever… look the point is Kagome nearly left me because of that and it's your fault; I could have used your help during the fight yesterday," Inuyasha stepped up to the cliff's edge to give a quick scan of the village to make sure nothing was out off of place.

"I observed the human encampment just outside of this village for several days; they had no significant power among them and I was needed in the west."

"So you just left and we were defenseless on our right flank; are you even aware that they attacked us?" Inuyasha couldn't believe how cold his brother was being about the situation; he was the one that wanted Inuyasha involved in this mess when the wolf tribe was attacked.

Sesshomaru turned and began to walk towards the forest, "It is not this Sesshomaru's concern with how you protect this village; humans are of no importance to me."

"Oh really… so Rin means nothing to you?" A smirk crept on to Inuyasha's face when he saw his brother stop advancing and tensed up completely, "The humans dragged all the women from their huts and kept them guarded; they were going to kill them after they got rid of the men. I was trapped in a barrier and couldn't get to them but I could still see the fear on her face; the girl you swore to protect… and now she is just like all the other humans in the world that don't mean a thing to you?"

Sesshomaru whipped around, his eyes flashed red briefly, and he approached his brother again, "You were to protect her, she is in this village to keep her safe from the demons of our father's lands; when she entered this village she became your responsibility."

Inuyasha was not about to let his brother intimidate him, "You forced that responsibility on me without much notice and I was trapped within a barrier so I couldn't do much. And Kagome is my main focus; she is my mate and she needed me! You should have been here looking after your charge; but wait… you haven't done that in a while either. Tell me Sesshomaru when was the last time you went to see her? Did you even check up on her when you came back with me in the winter or did you just observe the humans and then leave?" Inuyasha was certain his stoic brother's eye just twitched at his accusation but then the dog lord turned away from him again.

"What this Sesshomaru does when concerning his ward's wellbeing does not involve you." Sesshomaru then disappeared in a ball of light leaving Inuyasha alone on the cliff to rant and rave.

"That asshole! Making this all my fault when he wasn't here… bastard."

A few days later Inuyasha was still upset about his brother practically blaming him for the attack on the village, he was in the process of stripping boards down to be used to build the new huts; he had not planned to help the men with the construction but it dawned on him that even if he went out to search for Yukio it would be no use at the moment. The human could be anywhere and he wasn't in the mood to go running all over the country over a wild goose chase; unless there was some solid evidence that the human was spotted he wasn't moving from the village.

"Inuyasha," Miroku approached the dog demon carefully; he knew his friend had not been in a pleasant mood these last few days.

"What do you want Miroku?" Inuyasha didn't even bother to look up from the work he was doing; he needed to focus and cut the wood precisely or it would be too weak to withstand any type of demon attack or bad weather.

"I hate to bother you my friend but… well Sesshomaru is standing at the edge of the forest staring over here; I believe he would like a word with you."

At the mention of his brother Inuyasha's head shot up and he looked over in the direction Miroku pointed, "What the hell does he want now?" He dropped the wood cutting tool he had been using, he still didn't see why he needed to use it when his claws could slice the wood just as well, and headed off in the direction his brother was last seen.

"Are you here to blame me for something else Sesshomaru or is there some dire emergency in the west that needs both of our attention; maybe another land dispute between two old geezers?" Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the nearest tree watching his brother in front of him.

The lord's brow bent for a split second before his mask returned, "I have received word from the south that the humans were spotted deep within the boar demon territory… there are several human settlements there and they are probably cowering in one," Sesshomaru didn't wait for any gratification from the younger dog and just disappeared in his ball of energy much like he did a few days before, leaving Inuyasha to ponder the information.

'_He… he actually helped me? I don't know how accurate the information is but it's a start… now at least I have a location.'_

Things began to look up after Sesshomaru's second visit, the rest of that day Inuyasha helped with the huts and finished filling the holes he had created in the ground; that night he spent with his mate and friends enjoying their company since he planned to head out the next morning in pursuit of Yukio and he wasn't sure when he would return.

The next morning while the rest of the village was sleeping Kagome stood on the small veranda attached to her hut bidding her mate farewell. "Are you certain you need to leave now… it's only been about a week since all this happened," Kagome wrapped the fire rat robe tighter around herself to block the early morning chill from her body.

Inuyasha saw the shiver she tried to suppress and rolled his eyes as he pulled her towards his body to keep her warm while they spoke, "It's already been too long woman, the longer I remain idol the less likely I will ever catch them; I gave my word to the wolf that I would get them."

Kagome relaxed into his warmth savoring the time she had left with him, "I just wish they were closer or not being so cowardly to hide when they know they've done so much wrong."

Inuyasha could smell the tears she began to shed and held on to her tighter to comfort her, "Shh… calm down don't go getting upset now; look I can't make any promises but I will try to return quickly."

Kagome wiped away her tears and grabbed a hold of his forelocks tugging him down for one last passionate kiss; he crushed her to his chest trying to deepen the kiss wanting to remain where he was instead of gallivanting around the country side chasing two humans that should already been dead.

But alas they were not and so he needed to leave, pulling away Inuyasha smirked seeing her breathless, "Are you going to be okay while I'm gone? IF you don't feel comfortable staying in the hut alone the old woman said you're more than welcome to stay with her and the kid."

"I'll be fine knowing you're out there protecting us… just please be safe and come home to me."

Inuyasha bent to give her a peck on the forehead, "Keh, you know I will," one last hug and he dashed off down the path and into the woods.

* * *

That was the last time Kagome saw her mate nearly three months ago; she has waited patiently for him to return and while doing so she took up odd jobs around the hut to keep her mind on a positive note. One of those odd jobs she had started was cleaning up her garden to plant this year's vegetation; but she hadn't counted on it being so hot today causing her to take so many breaks.

"Kagome… Kagome!"

The young woman put down the cup she had been drinking from when she heard someone calling her name; looking to the path that led into the village just in time to see Sango walking towards the hut. "Oh good morning Sango!" Kagome was excited to see her closest friend out and about and that she decided to visit; her happiness grew when she saw the bundle the older woman was carrying turned out to be one of her daughters. _'But wait… where's my other niece?'_

As if reading the younger woman's mind when she approached Sango turned to show Takara was strapped tightly to her back, "Could you give me a little help Kagome, it was easy getting them packed up but I didn't think ahead about the unpacking part."

With Kagome's help the babies were unpacked and settled in the shade of the hut while their mother and aunt adamantly chatted near by. "So Sango… where's Miroku?" Kagome had noticed with the weather warming the monk had become rather fidgety as of late; he had gone on a few small exterminations near the village but the girl knew he really wanted to get a few big scores to rack in more money but that would require Inuyasha's help.

But Sango simply rolled her eyes at her friend's question, "He told me he was going to the shrine to do some work for Kaede-sama but that was hours ago… he's probably wondering around the village looking at the women."

Hearing the once pervert was reverting back to his old ways caused Kagome to panic and then become enraged, "W-What! Sango why would you let him get away with that!"

Sango quickly waived off her friend, "It's nothing like he used too Kagome so I'm not worried about it; he knows if that 'cursed' hand touches any other woman's backside he'll never see his daughters or me ever again."

'_If Inuyasha ever finds out he'll probably kill him,'_ Kagome thought back to sometime during the winter when her mate had let slip about their last extermination at the human palace; she was very proud of Inuyasha for putting Miroku in his place when dealing with his pack… but she of course would never tell Sango that her husband had a bunch of concubines hanging all over him while she was pregnant.

And right on queue the very man the two women were talking about came around the bend in the path… with a young woman in tow. Kagome nearly dropped her cup of water seeing the two approach; it wasn't so much that they were there but the fact that Miroku had his goofy smile on his face when in the presence of a beautiful woman… and right in front of his wife too.

When they were close enough Kagome looked the woman over of course her friend would find probably the most beautiful woman around to keep him company; the girl had to be a princess of lady of a nearby palace with the shimmering silk kimono on. She was petite and looked to be about the girls' age with light brown hair twisted up into a bun a top her head with two elegant chop sticks to pin it down. She had her head bowed with her bangs trying to cover her face but Kagome caught a glimpse of her eyes… and mischievous smile.

"Miroku… who is your friend?" Sango couldn't believe her 'faithful' husband was standing in front of her clearly flirting with another woman; she was trying to hold in her anger in as to not scare the girl but it was extremely hard for her not to jump up right now and hit her husband.

Miroku could see his wife's anger and knew if he didn't explain this situation quickly he would need to find somewhere else to live very soon. "Sango my love… wait wait I can explain! It's very simple actually; you see Asami-sama here will she was walking around in the village and looked lost. I was just finishing my duties at the shrine and heading here when I noticed her; I couldn't simply leave her there alone and to my surprise she told me she was looking for you Kagome so I brought her here."

The nervousness in his voice and the sweat dripping from his forehead was enough to cool Sango's temper for the moment but the monk knew from the look he was receiving from her that they were having a talk later.

Kagome placed her hand atop Sango's to calm her further, "Oh really? Well Miroku I thank you for helping her find her way here… but I do believe you were a little distracted by something else not to notice what she truly is." A smile came to her face at her friends' confused expressions and the strange girl tensed at being discovered.

"Kagome… I don't understand." Miroku stepped away from his travelling company to look her over again but he didn't see anything that would jump out at him; was there something he couldn't see?

"Inuyasha would be furious if he knew you allowed a demon into the village and so close to me without even realizing it." At the mention of demon everyone tensed but Kagome who just laughed harder, "And to be fooled by an illusion is rather funny but I'm sure Sango is ready to hit you right now," the woman couldn't stop laughing at her friends' faces.

Both Sango and Miroku became worried about their friend's strange behavior and that she wasn't worried about the demon standing a few feet away; both adults thought the demon may have possessed Kagome to make her act this way.

Seeing her friends about to attack the demon Kagome sobered up quickly to help the creature before it was vanquished. "I think you better drop the disguise before you get hurt."

The beautiful young woman nodded in agreement with Kagome and a second later a loud pop was heard as pink smoke encased her body; when the smoke cleared a very familiar fox demon was standing where the girl once was. "Kagome how'd you know it was me… I even had everyone in the village fooled," the pout on Shippo's little face made Kagome smile again.

"I'm sorry Shippo-chan but you shouldn't be trying to trick our friends like that… Miroku could have hurt you."

"I didn't mean to fool them but it was part of my exam… I hope I can still pass even thought I was caught." A second later a strip of paper appeared out of thin air and Shippo snatched it up; quickly scanning it over he then burst into tears, "Oh no! I was two points away from passing… now I'll have to retake the test again."

"Oh Shippo-chan I'm so sorry, I thought you were just playing around; if I had known it was a test I would have just gone along with it," Kagome felt horrible that the boy was going to fail his test because of her; she of all people knew how bad it felt to fail at something you tried your hardest on.

"No its okay Kagome, my teachers probably already knew that you weren't fooled anyway," Shippo ignited the paper with his fox fire, depression evident in his voice; Kagome was just about to get up and pull the fox child into her arms to comfort him when she noticed a distinctive change in him.

"Shippo-chan… what's happening to your tail?"

The fox boy's sadness suddenly vanished as his green eyes lit up with excitement; he ran up closer to his friends to show them the new development in his life. "I'm getting my second tail… isn't that great!" He turned around to show that his once big, fluffy tail had shrunk in side and was beginning to divide right down the middle; it both amazed Kagome because she had never seen such a thing before and also made her a bit sick because it looked painful.

"You're getting another tail?"

"Ah our little Shippo is growing up right before our eyes," Miroku sat down next to his wife, his anger completely gone from before when hearing their little friend's news.

Sango too was happy for the boy but she could see the confusion on Kagome's face and she felt she should fill her in, "You see Kagome when a fox demon like our Shippo here reaches different stages of their lives they grow another tail; from what I've studied this happens when they reach a century of their life or when their magic increases… is that right Shippo?"

"Uh huh, yeah Sango you're right; my first century of birth is within a moon," the fox wiggled his splitting tail in excitement. That was the whole reason why he had returned to the village; fox demons are very vulnerable during their time of tail growing. He asked permission from his teachers to go home where he would be safe, he hadn't seen any of his friends in nearly six months; he also knew Kagome loved celebrating days of birth and she would spoil him rotten during his.

"Interesting… you're hundredth year eh Shippo… so that would have made you around ninety-seven when Kagome found you yes?" A smirk crept to Miroku's face and the look made Shippo a little sick to his stomach.

"Um… yeah I was… what's your point?"

"Well… I'm certain our dear friend Inuyasha would love to know that a very not little boy was sharing his future wife's sleeping bag during our travels." Oh yes Miroku really liked the look of fear that came to the little demon's face; this would be the perfect revenge upon the fox for nearly getting him killed by his wife earlier.

"Y-You really wouldn't do that would you Miroku? It's not like I did anything; and technically I am still a kid you know… demon age differently than humans. Please don't tell him."

"Miroku stop teasing him," Sango gently smacked her husband on the shoulder to silence him, Shippo's little prank was already forgiven.

"Oh wow Sango you had the babies," Shippo was just about to thank the woman for calling her husband's bluff when he noticed that her stomach was no longer the size of the beach ball; using his nose like Inuyasha he detected the soft delicate scents of the babies. He scanned the area and saw the two bundles sitting in the shade by the hut; he bounced over quietly to observe the babies, Sango close behind to introduce her daughters to the fox.

The girls loved Shippo's magic tricks and he was more than happy to entertain them for a few hours while the adults talked; Kagome watched closely and a smile branded her lips hearing the twins' musical laughter fill the yard at one of Shippo's screaming mushrooms.

"He's good with little kids isn't he, who would have thought after the way Inuyasha and he treated each other during our journey," Sango's abrupt statement caused Kagome to jump slightly in shock and turn away from the children to look at the other woman.

"Um yeah… he was alone with us for so long I was worried he would never make friends his own ag-… well you know; I still can't believe he'll be a century old… he doesn't even look ten." Watching the boy jump around in the telling of his story, and the girls giggling at his silliness, Kagome realized that he had grown an inch or two since the last time she saw him; but even with the new height he probably was still shorter than Souta when he was nine.

"Well he was right about demons aging differently; take Inuyasha for example he looks our age but do you know how old he really is?"

"Well of course I know his real age, I'm his mate after all, and trust me… looks are quite deceiving."

Both girls suddenly burst into laughter causing the only male in their small group to raise an eyebrow at their craziness; they turned their attention to his silence with a questioning stare. "I assure you my dear wife I am a mere twenty years of age." Miroku's quick clarification that he has not lied about his age caused the women to laugh even harder.

"Hey guys… what's so funny?" Shippo overhearing the women's' hysterical laughter had stopped his illusions, much to the twins' displeasure and they voiced it loudly, to see what was going on over there. Sango stood to retrieve her crying babies it was past their feeding and nap time so she decided to take them home.

"It's nothing important Shippo-chan; so tell me how do you want to spend your birthday… turning a century is a rather big deal," Kagome waived to Sango and Miroku as they returned to the village with the girls leaving her and Shippo. It was early in the afternoon and with her adopted son's return Kagome knew her garden would have to wait till tomorrow; she grabbed up the cups that were used and headed into the hut… Shippo not far behind.

The boy plopped down by the unlit fire pit and watched her go over to the wash basin to clean the used cups and then put them away all while thinking over her question quite carefully. "I don't know Kagome, I thought I could stay here with you guys for a while… by the way where's Inuyasha?"

Kagome went into a summarized version of what happened for the last six months while he was gone ending with where her mate had been the last two months.

"Wow… a lot happened… I missed so much by being away." Shippo's sadness caused panic in his mother; Kagome approached him and drew the small demon into her arms to comfort him.

"Oh Shippo I'm glad you were away, I would never have wanted you here while those racist humans were in the village; I had nightmares of you coming back here and them hurting you," she pulled him extremely close to her body like a large teddy bear she was cuddling.

"But I'm sure I could have helped in some way… been a distraction to get them away from you."

"No Shippo… I'm really glad you were safely away from the village; I don't know what I would have done if you were hut because of them," Kagome ruffled his auburn bangs drawing a smile from him. "Now let's not talk about that anymore, no more sadness; no what we should talk about is your birthday. Oh I know let's have a party, yes that's a great idea we could do that," Kagome put the boy down as a multitude of different themes popped into her head from a child's party… of course a lot of the modern items that would make an awesome party were not even invented yet but they could still have a pretty nice party.

And while on the thought of balloons, streamers, and cakes there was one thing from the future they could continue to do here while at a party, "Shippo-chan, what would you like for a present?" Kagome ran to grab a piece of paper, ink and a brush that Miroku had given to her to make a list of items she would need to make this bash.

"A present?"

"Yeah sweetie a present… you know a gift; people give gifts to the person whose birthday it is. You can ask for anything you want, maybe a new top or two, I've become really good at sowing I could make you a new outfit!"

"But Kagome, you don't need to get me anything."

"Oh don't be silly honey it's your birthday and I need to give you something," Kagome put down the brush and read over the list she had just made to make sure she got everything she needed.

"But don't you see Kagome, you've already give me something."

Kagome put down the paper to look at the boy and tried to process the meaning of his words but after a few minutes she was still stumped. "I'm sorry Shippo-chan but I don't understand what you're talking about… what have I given you recently that would equal a birthday gift," she picked up the bottle of ink and brush to bring them back into her bedroom.

"You mean you don't know, here I would have thought you would the first to know, well anyway I guess I'll tell you. It won't happen for a few more moons but you've made me a big brother… you're carrying Inuyasha's pup."

A loud crash could be heard from the other room as the bottle of ink that was once in Kagome's hand now lay in a mess all over the wooden floor… it would never be able to be removed.

* * *

**Note: So I hope everyone is happy with me now; after 26 chapters Kagome's finally pregnant... but how did it happen? Well we'll find that out in the next chapter, and what is Inuyasha and everyone else going to think. And Ayame is pregnant again... we're going to have babies all over the place; she'll be back later so you can see what she had. And like I promised Sesshomaru popped up again so you see what he was doing during the attacks. **

**I started putting everyone's ages back in the story too just you can see how much time has past since where seeking power ended; we're nearly three years since Kagome first came through the well so if you do the math it would be about the time the actually anime/manga ended with Kagome coming back to the future. And Kagome is nearly eighteen and pregnant... yeah I planned that all along; she maybe married at 16 but I don't think she was ready to become a mother during that time. In the next chapter I'm going to be bringing up a part from 'Seeking power' that will explain how Inuyasha should have know Kagome wouldn't become with child right away... I with everything he was going through he completely forget about it.**

**I was reading back on character info for the original group of characters and it just dawned on me how I've been spelling Kaede's name wrong this whole time... wow. I think it looks better as 'Keade' but it's wrong I was going to change it in the story but that's a lot of chapters to do over and so I just decided to change it starting this chapter and moving on... now I just have to remember from now on ^.^'**

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	28. Pregnancy problems

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

'_Pregnant… I'm pregnant?'_ That thought ran through Kagome's head the rest of the night.

After Shippo had said it she had come back into the room to question him. "Shippo-chan… what did you say?"

A big smile came to the fox's face, "I said you're carrying Inuyasha's pup… he didn't tell you?"

Kagome gently sat down by the pit, "Well no he didn't, he's been gone for the last two months so he doesn't know either," she put a hand to her stomach picturing the baby growing inside her. _'I'm going to have a baby… Inuyasha's baby.'_

It rained the next few days which prevented Kagome from tending her garden like she wished, but luckily she had a few indoor activities to keep her busy; with Shippo there he kept her entertained between breaks. She jumped from planning his party to cleaning up the spare room they used for storage; with her expecting now the room would have to be made into a nursery… boy was Inuyasha going to be surprised when he got back.

"Kagome, when the pup comes… can I still stay here when I visit?" Shippo sat by the fire waiting for the rice Kagome was cooking to be finished so they could have dinner.

"Of course you can still stay here Shippo-chan, you're our son too and the baby won't replace you. Are you absolutely sure I am pregnant, I should be about two months along and yet I don't feel anything different." Kagome had been expecting symptoms like morning sickness, weird cravings, loss of appetite all the things Sango went through when she was pregnant… but she felt nothing; other than fatigue, which could just be because she never sleeps well when Inuyasha isn't there, she wasn't certain she was expecting.

The fox burst out laughing, holding his belly like he was in pain, tears began to stream down his face, "Kagome, why… don't you believe… believe me when I say you're pupped? I might be young but I know what my nose is telling me."

Kagome blushed in embarrassment, she felt a little stupid with the boy cackling the way he was, "I just want to be sure Shippo-chan… it has been very hard for me to conceive and so I want to be absolutely, one hundred percent sure that I am pregnant before getting my hopes to high."

Shippo's chuckling immediately stopped when he smelled her tears, "Uh Kagome, don't cry please… I didn't know I'm sorry," he jumped up and ran over to hug his mother and wiped her tears away, "Trust me Kagome, you are going to have a baby; you smell just like Sango did when Kaede… wait that's it! If you don't believe me you can go to Kaede and she can do those test thingies and prove that you are pregnant."

'_That's right Kaede-sama would know… I have to go see her tomorrow.'_ "You're a genius Shippo-chan… I'll go see her tomorrow."

"Good now that that's fixed… I can still stay right?"

His big cheesy smile made her giggle," Yes you can stay… the baby will be in our room for some time when it's born and then you two will share the room; of course sometime in the future Inuyasha will have to build on to the hut and then we will decide who will share a room."

The next morning was the first day in four that it didn't rain so both Kagome and Shippo were out in the garden battling the weeds. "Kagome, why can't I use my fox fire to just burn these things?" Shippo was tugging on a rather stubborn weed and when it finally gave way he fell back on his butt making her laugh.

"I'm sorry Shippo-chan but you can't, you could burn the plants which is what needs to survive."

"My aim has improved a lot because of my training; I'm not Inuyasha when he swung Tetsusaiga around wildly," the pout on the boy's face drew another laugh from his mother; however the other person who just stepped into the clearing wasn't finding his comment all that hysterical.

"Those 'wild swings' saved your butt a lot of the time if I remember correctly." Hearing that deep, annoyed voice that was her mate's brought tears to Kagome's eyes; she turned to see him standing at the edge of the clearing, arms folded over his chest and a glare on his face directed right at Shippo.

"Inuyasha… you're back… well look at the time… I think I'll go see Sango and the twins; the girls probably miss me… later!" Shippo pulled a leaf out of his fur vest and put it on his head signaling the transformation into his hideous pink balloon ball and he floated away… leaving the couple alone.

Kagome stood from her position and after wiping off the dirt from her hands on her wrap skirt, she approached her mate who was growling at the sky where Shippo was last seen floating over the tree line. "Damn brat, always bad mouthing me, apparently he forgot who kept him alive while we were fighting Naraku!"

"Oh I'm sure he will never forget what you did for him my mate… he's just teasing you," Kagome cautiously wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself against his back, and just enjoying his warmth and the fact that he was there.

Feeling her close and taking in her scent relaxed the dog demon so he could forget about the fox and just focus on his woman. He quickly turned and engulfed her small frame into his arms; he bent slightly to bury his nose into her hair and released a deep sigh. "God I've missed you."

His breath tickled her face but she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull herself up to kiss him showing him just how she really missed him.

When they parted a few minutes later even Inuyasha was panting for air, "Wow… I guess you missed me too huh?" His joking demeanor died down however when he saw how serious her face had become, "Kagome?"

She stepped back slightly and took a minute to push a loose strand of hair behind her ear, she bit her bottom lip in nervousness worried how he would take her news, "Inuyasha… there's something I need to tell you."

* * *

'_Pregnant… she's pregnant?'_ When Kagome told him she had something to tell him, her being pupped wasn't what he was expecting. She told him Shippo was the one to tell her a few days ago and she wanted to go to Kaede to confirm it. So now here Inuyasha sat outside of the priestess' hut while his mate was inside having an examination… his mind was racing will all the possibilities that could happen.

"Inuyasha, I heard you were back… I hope you were able to find those devious men?" Miroku was walking across the small foot bridge that was built over the stream that cut through the village.

The dog's ears wilted when thinking about his latest quest, "No I didn't find them; they must have left the village that Sesshomaru's guards tracked them to… I spent a good amount of time looking for them but they've just vanished. I came back here just too check on everything and leave again but now… with everything going on I might not be able to leave."

Miroku stood in front of the sitting demon a questioning look upon his face, "Has something… happened? I saw Shippo heading towards my hut earlier and I thought maybe you had sent him away to be with your wife for a few hours."

An annoyed growl left the demon's throat when he knew where his friend's thoughts were going. "It ain't nothing like that you pervert… and speaking of which Kagome told me about your guest that you brought to our hut the other day… what have I told you about staying away from wenches now that you're mated?" Inuyasha stood to his full height, which was an inch or two taller than the monk, to show his dominance over the beta male.

Miroku, knowing a challenge when he saw one from the demon, immediately back down putting up his hands in surrender, "Whoa wait Inuyasha that was all a mistake really… you see the girl was lost and I was just trying to help her."

"Yeah and because she was half way decent you let your guard down and brought her to Kagome, putting my mate in danger because she really was a demon in disguise!"

"Well to be fair it was Shippo and he is getting really good with his illusions… Sango didn't realize it was him either."

Inuyasha balled his hand into a fist and was about to thump his friend on the head, maybe it would knock some of the pervert out of him; but the shuffling of the reed door behind them caught his attention.

"Must ye boys always squabble outside of my hut?" Kaede's grandmotherly tone caused both boys to blush in shame at their behavior.

Inuyasha regained his composure and remembered why he was waiting to begin with, "Well… is she?"

Kaede looked from Inuyasha's eager expression to Miroku's confused one; being the old fashion priestess she was Kaede thought it would be best if their conversation was held inside. "Please come in Inuyasha," she held the mat open for the demon to enter; Miroku could sense this was a private matter and quickly left… he was rather grateful that Kaede stopped the beating he was about to get from the dog demon. Inuyasha being ushered inside completely forgot about the monk and followed the old woman into the hut where his mate was.

Slipping pass the elderly woman the demon was again going to ask about his woman but the question never left his tongue seeing said female sitting by the fire; a smirk came to his lips when he saw she was in the process of readjusting her kimono from the examination that was just performed. "Kagome, are you alright?" He was kneeling at her side in a heartbeat looking her over for any sign that she maybe ill.

Kagome didn't say a word which caused her mate to panic; she merely bowed her head a blush frosting her cream cheeks. Inuyasha was about to bust because of her silence but Kaede was able to soothe his anxiety. "She is fine Inuyasha," the elderly woman gingerly sat across from the couple where she had several bowls of crushed herbs around her.

Seeing as Kagome wasn't going to answer he had to turn to the priestess, "Well… is it true or was Shippo playing a joke?" Just the thought of the fox tricking his mate with something like this twisted his stomach.

"Calm yeself Inuyasha, Shippo was correct… Kagome is indeed with child," a gentle smile graced her lips when she watched the hard glare that usually marred the dog demon's face soften to a look of utter shock and disbelief.

'_She… is… she's pregnant! She's carrying my… my pup.'_ Adrenaline, joy, excitement were all coursing through the dog's body so fast that he could barely breathe… after so long and near heartbreak they were finally going to have their first child. He was so excited he could hardly remain still, he wanted to break out of the hut and howl to the skies and let everyone in the village know of his joy; but that would probably cause panic from the villagers so he settled for just pulling his mate into his arms.

Kagome giggled from the eager affection he was now bestowing upon her; when Kaede had told her that she indeed was expecting she was floored… her mother's words had been good advice. _'I can't believe I'm finally pregnant… but I can't help but wonder how? Inuyasha said even while my body was ready to conceive I couldn't… will this happen again?'_

Inuyasha must have sensed her confusion and read her thoughts; he placed Kagome comfortably in his lap then looked to Kaede again, "Oi Baba! I'm thrilled Kagome is carrying my pup but I need to know how?"

"How? Surely you would know how a child is conceived," both women in the hut could contain their laughter at the man's beat red face.

"Keh… of course I know how a pup is conceived… that's not what I meant! For months I was trying to pup her when her body was telling me to… and you know how well that went; so why now was she able to expect my seed?" Inuyasha's bluntness made Kagome blush; this was like talking to her grandfather about sex.

Kaede pondered the boy's question for a few minutes, all while finishing mixing the multitude of herbs she crushed into a cup and handing it over to Kagome; of course before the younger woman could reach out for it her mate snatched it up and brought it to his nose to find out what it was. "Eh! What the hell did you put in this Baba, it stinks."

Kaede rolled her eye at the face he made… he was such a child himself sometime, "It is merely a tonic with herbs to give Kagome a healthy pregnancy."

"Oh like prenatal vitamins," Kagome took the cup from her mate, and though it did smell bad like he said, she held her breath and took a big gulp.

"Kagome, don't drink that! It could hurt the pup," already, after knowing for only about twenty minutes that she was with child, Inuyasha was being over protective of her.

"Inuyasha, calm down do ye think I would try to hurt your unborn child?"

"All respect Baba but have you ever saw to the care of a half demon pup before?"

"Mate stop it, I was present when Kaede-sama crushed the herbs so I know everyone that was put into this tonic, trust me… none of them will hurt the baby," Kagome couldn't keep the smile from her lips whenever she spoke of the baby now growing inside of her. With the liquid gone from the cup there was no point in Inuyasha arguing about it; so he went back to the topic they were on before.

Kaede watched the couple bicker for a few minutes over the tonic; then when they drew quiet and Inuyasha's golden gaze was locked on to her she knew she was free to speak once more. "I have been thinking about what ye told me about your mother Inuyasha."

Inuyasha's ears bent low in warning that the mentioning of his mother was dangerous, "Yeah… what about my mother?"

"Inuyasha," Kagome could feel her mate tense up behind her; she placed her hand on his arm to calm him knowing his mother was a touchy subject.

"It's not just your mother but all the other women that have had half demon children… there is something different between all of them and Kagome."

Inuyasha's ears relaxed and one began to twitch as he thought over the priestess' words. He looked to the small woman in his lap as he tried to compare her with his mother; even with only a few memories of the woman who gave birth to him, he couldn't see a great difference. Kagome was a young, healthy, strong woman who was capable of having his children just as his mother was for his father. Kagome too couldn't figure out what made her different from the other mothers of half demons.

"Kagome is different because she was born to be a priestess."

At Kaede's words Inuyasha immediately lashed out, "That's a lie! She wasn't meant to live as a priestess; she was born to be with me as my mate and I to be hers. That's why she was able to release me from the sacred tree." He was so riled up by the thought of someone trying to take Kagome from him that he practically encaged her in his arms not letting his guard down even for a second.

Kaede could see their conversation was going way off track and she had to rein him back in, "I apologize for the misunderstanding Inuyasha, I didn't mean to upset you, let me rephrase. Kagome was born with spiritual powers unlike the other women who have borne demon children."

Kagome was finally able to push her mate away from her to talk to the older woman, "But Kaede-sama, I don't understand… how could my powers effect a pregnancy? In the future I had six children with what appeared to be minimum difficulty."

"Now mind you child this is only a theory I have thought of but it may still apply. You see when a woman choses the life of a shrine maiden they typically do not also have a husband. A priestess' purification power is really their only defense against while traveling against lustful demons; if she were to take a husband, or be attacked by a rouge demon, then she would lose her purity and thus her connection with the kami."

'_Well that explains part of the reason why Kikyo wanted to get rid of the jewel before being with Inuyasha,'_ Kagome snuggled into her mate's arms farther for comfort not wanting to upset herself by thinking of the other reason why the dead priestess wanted to get rid of the jewel.

"But how does that apply to Kagome getting pregnant?" If Inuyasha's arms weren't currently around Kagome he would be scratching his head in confusion.

"Well normally if a woman who is a shrine maiden does wish to have a family she will lose her powers with her first night with her husband… but it has been proven several times that Kagome did not." Kagome thought back to the demons she has slain and all the times she has used her powers since becoming Inuyasha's mate. "I believe that with the amount and strength of her power Kagome may have a barrier within her body preventing her from becoming pregnant."

"A barrier?"

"More or less the core of your spiritual energy resides within ye child."

"But… if Kagome has had this barrier inside of the whole time than how did she just get pupped and how do we get rid of it?" The more Kaede spoke the more Inuyasha was confused.

"If she hasn't lost her powers yet Inuyasha then she probably won't ever be able to stop the barrier; now if ye were human it wouldn't be a problem since the barrier probably wouldn't react-."

"But since I'm a demon it does react… her body fights back against my see to protect her," Inuyasha was upset by the news but he didn't blame Kagome for this; by what Kaede was saying it was her body's instinct to protect her from carrying a demon's child.

"So basically my body is killing off Inuyasha's… essence before I can get pregnant?" Kagome felt sick to her stomach thinking of all the times they had been intimate in the past year and a half and what her body had been doing all that time… all the potential children they could have been creating… all those lives that could be gone because of her. _'Oh god… what if Inu was one of them… what if I'm not carrying him right now?'_

Kaede placed a pot of water over the newly lit fire while carefully thinking over the question, "The only thing I can think of is a priestess' time of weakness."

"They have a time of weakness?" Inuyasha's mind began pulling up images of Kagome's hair changing colors like his did when he was a half demon; but in all the time he knew his spit fire little mate never had he seen her being weak.

"It's not a physical change Inuyasha like when you changed while being a half demon. No this weakness is like your only all women go through it once a full moon cycle." Both the couple's faces heated up at the old woman's words.

"So uh… the barrier is weakened when Kagome has her monthly… blood?"

"Yes and most likely the few days before too; while her body is preparing to release its egg it must focus all its energy there which means it cannot feed the barrier the normal energy it needs to remain strong."

"So when she's in heat she can get pupped… but then why couldn't I-."

"Even with the barrier weak it would purify your seed Inuyasha; however there is a time when you are strongest yes?" Kaede removed the pot from the fire and brewed a cup of tea.

"Well yeah… my power fluxes with the moon's cycle; I'm strongly during a full moon."

A gasp left Kagome's lips and she gripped Inuyasha's sleeve tightly when she remembered what happened the night the village was attacked… especially the light of the full moon glistening over Nobuo's body. _'That was the only night in three months that we were together… I guess one good thing did come out of that awful day; but if the baby ever asks what was the cause of its conception we will tell it that they were made out of love not a desperate need for me to forget nearly being raped by a crazed man.'_ Kagome knew the chances of the child ever asking those types of questions were slim she still wanted to be ready.

Inuyasha caught on to his mate's thought and tried to remember most of that night they spent together… but all he could remember was Kagome's beautiful body twisted up with his and probably exact moment this pup was conceived. Apparently during all that happened that day Inuyasha didn't even realize that she had gone into heat the same day. It boiled his blood to think that if Masanori had succeeded in raping her Kagome would have become pregnant with his child. _'Never! I'll never let that bastard near her ever again,'_ he buried his nose in the crown of Kagome's head allowing her scent to calm him down.

"I think we have discovered how ye have become with child my dear," Kaede smiled coyly over the rim of her cup watching the couple's affection towards each other.

"Yes I think we did… thank you for your help Kaede-sama," Kagome signaled to her mate that she was ready to leave; judging by the color of the sky it was late in the afternoon and she needed to get home to start dinner.

"Ye are quite welcome child just remember we much watch your pregnancy carefully since the child is very special… every few days ye should drop by for a check-up." With a nod as a promise the two left the hut hand in hand heading to their home for the night.

* * *

Once home Inuyasha went to work on a fire to cook their dinner and heat up the chilled hut. With Shippo not present, he was most likely going to stay over at Miroku's for the night, the hut was quiet which gave the two time to think about all they discovered today; when the rice was in the pot cooking and the fish roasting over the open fire it gave them time to talk.

"So… according to Baba the only way for you to carry my pup is if we mate when you're in heat and it has to be the night of the full moon so my demon is at its peak."

"It would seem so… I guess that might explain why the children had such odd ages."

"Yay… I guess… I still can't believe you're finally pupped though," the smile appeared on the dog's face as he reached over to touch her flat stomach; he became worried however when she flinched away from him. "Kagome, what's wrong?" Panic filled him and immediately his mind jumped to the conclusion that she was regretting being pregnant.

"It's… nothing."

"Mate, tell me… is it… do you not want the pup?"

"What no! No that's not it really it's just… I was thinking that… what if… what if this baby isn't Inu?"

"What! Where would you get an idea like that woman?"

"Well… you heard what Kaede-sama said, my body has been purifying your seed every time we were together; what happened if during one of those times it was Inu's time to be conceived and he… what if this baby is a different one?" Kagome was in tears just thinking about the possible death of their first child from the future even before he was born.

Inuyasha quickly pulled her into his arms to try and calm her down, "Shh… Kagome relax it'll be okay… if this pup isn't Inu it won't matter, we'll still love it no matter what."

"How can you… be so calm a-about this; I know t-that… you want Inu just as b-badly as I do."

Inuyasha couldn't deny her words were true, for the past nearly two years he has been envisioning the dark haired boy as a child and all the things he would have taught him while he grew up; he was going to be the father he never had as a pup. But just because this pup may not be the one they got to know doesn't mean he would treat them any differently… it was his pup after all. "Listen Kagome, yes I was looking forward to having Inu with us again but this pup is our pup too and I will love it no matter what," he didn't finished his thought but he was hoping she would feel the same way too.

Kagome relaxed into her mate's embrace realizing that her behavior over this was childish; she should have been grateful that she was finally having a child… she shouldn't be picky about it not being the child she wanted. She placed her hand on her belly where the baby was resting inside of her; Kagome sent a silent apology to her unborn child asking for forgiveness about her bias wishes towards it.

Inuyasha was happy that his mate had calmed down and he too placed his hand over top of her smaller one over her belly both basking in the knowledge that they were to be parents soon.

* * *

Later that night, while Kagome was getting much needed sleep, Inuyasha lay awake thinking once again about the day's events. _'Why didn't they tell us? Why didn't our future selves tell us the certain times we could have pups… I wouldn't have wasted all that time, all those chances… I would have made them count! I would have made sure the only times we did mate was when she could absolutely breed.'_

Inuyasha had been so happy when Kaede told them about the pregnancy but know with what Kagome brought up later that night it had him worried now. _'I don't understand, before they left they asked me to protect Inu when he was born so why didn't they tell me about this?'_ His anger was getting the best of him as he caught himself growling under his breath; he didn't want to wake Kagome so he got out of bed and left the room.

Sitting out in the main room he stoked the fire back to life to keep him company while he thought. _'Maybe they didn't know… maybe something was different for them; or maybe they figured it out earlier than we did so Inu was born sooner. Maybe Kagome was right and we're too late to have him.'_ Inuyasha thought back to everything his or Kagome's future-self told him; they weren't here that long so there wasn't much to go on.

Just as he was about to give up and return to the bedroom for a night of restless sleep an idea popped into his head about what went on two years ago; after so much time and all that happened since then Inuyasha completely forgot that the times he spoke with his future self weren't the only times he gained information from them. At the time he didn't understand but now what Inu did while in this time made sense; Inuyasha had spoken to future Kagome two times before he even met her in person… in the dreams Inu had given him.

'_Of course! Kagome did tell me about how we would have trouble having pups… I was just confused by what was going on and discovering that Inu was trying to hurt Kikyo that I pushed the information away.'_ Inuyasha of course was referring to the first dream his son had given him… the dream months after his future-self had killed Kikyo for nearly killing Kagome.

'_She was pregnant with Izayoi-chan when we spoke… I was so distracted with her carrying my pup I was hardly paying attention to her talking when we took that walk.'_ Inuyasha racked his brain trying to remember the exact words she had used at the time.

'_**I… with the news… carrying again… return to yourself… knowing how hard it was… first year… trying to have a pup.'**_

Most of the conversation was foggy since it happened so long ago but there were still pieces in his memory. _'So Kagome did know about it and through Inu's dream of their past she told me… maybe there is a chance that Inu will still be born.'_

With this new little bit of hope in his mind, Inuyasha banked the fire and returned to bed; he didn't want to wake Kagome with this news so he would tell her in the morning what he discovered. This new hope let him sleep a little easier and he prayed to the kami that he was correct in his assumptions; if not they would have to welcome this strange pup into their family and hopefully Kagome would not be too heart broken.

* * *

**Note: And now you all know why Kagome couldn't get pregnant! Full Moon+Ovulating Kagome= BABIES! Yeah it's a little weird and would never probably happen in real life but this is story land and anything can happen. But is what Kagome said possibly true, has their time to have Inu really passed and this baby is a different one? And the part in 'Seeking Power' that was mentioned here is in chapter 40: Inuyasha's Dream... if anyone was looking for it the whole part is there. But basically another fluffy chapter... I'm thinking of where to go with this next(mostly the next few chapters will be like this until the baby is born... which I'm going to skip the months Kagome will be pregnant and it may only be a chapter or two until the little is born; just so everyone isn't going crazy with worry.)**

**Thanks to:  
**phoenixoffireluvsanime  
luis1113  
S0me18skittles **(You forgot me story .O_O.)**  
KairiAngel13  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
edasama  
mangamichelle12  
Ldsprincess  
BugBite14  
InuXKag0.0  
dont worrie bout it  
Elantina  
corincat331  
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**For reviewing... lov'em, keep it up!**


	29. Possibly a dark miko

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

The next few months went by rather quickly after the news of Kagome's pregnancy became known; after the first night the couple decided to tell their friends about the baby but not about the fact that the child may not be Inu. They decided to wait till after the baby was born to tell Sango and Miroku about the situation. Their friends of course were extremely happy for them, Miroku couldn't stop teasing Inuyasha even with the demon's warnings to stop; and Sango was thrilled all their children will be close in age.

"Oh Kagome, this is amazing! And the girls will only be about nine or ten months older than the baby so they can all play together when they get older; of course I'm not sure how Inu would feel about playing with little girls all the time with him being a boy… but he could also play with Shippo too." Sango was adamantly chatting away while chopping up herbs to season her stew she was cooking for lunch; Kagome sat nearby keeping the twins busy while their mother cooked.

"Yeah… I'm sure he could," the girl distracted her wondering thoughts by playing with Aki's toes that were sticking out of her blanket; her giggles caught the older twin's attention and so Takara wanted her aunt's attention too, she began fighting against her covering to get a foot lose and began to wiggle it around.

Sango's mothering instincts were in overdrive at the moment and she easily picked up on Kagome's non-eagerness about her own pregnancy, "Kagome, are you okay? You didn't seem too excited there; I know how worried you were about not being able to bear a child but now-."

"No, no I'm fine Sango really, I'm just worried about all this happening so fast; I mean we've barely gotten over the whole Yukio situation and all of a sudden I'm pregnant! And I'm already nearly three months along and yet I've had no symptoms of it. When you were carrying the girls you were sick all the time; that's a sign of a healthy pregnancy… but I've had nothing."

"Trust me Kagome, it was no fun throwing up every meal, I was sick while cooking as well too… it was extremely hard; and didn't both Kaede-sama and you say every woman's pregnancy was different, just because you're not getting sick doesn't mean the baby isn't healthy. And didn't you tell me you've been rather tired lately, that's a symptom; at the end of my pregnancy when I had to remain in bed all the time I slept a lot."

Kagome felt so silly for not remembering her own words over a year ago to her friend while she was carrying the girls. "You're right Sango, I shouldn't be so worried… it could harm the baby," she put her hand to her stomach to check on the little one… she had been doing that a lot lately now that she knew she was expecting.

"Everything will be alright Kagome, and all your fears and the butterflies you're feeling now will completely disappear the moment he's in your arms."

'_Yeah I hope you're right… I hope Inu is the one I will hold in my arms in a few months.'_

* * *

Another couple of weeks went by without much trouble for the village; Inuyasha had decided that with Kagome's condition he would have to put his search for Yukio on hold until after the pup was born… he didn't want to leave his mate alone in case something could happen.

And speaking of his mate Kagome seemed to finally accept the pup growing inside of her as the symptoms of pregnancy began to appear… every once and a while he would catch her caressing the bump that seemed to appear over night; pride swelled within him seeing her smile.

This particular day was a bad one for the young mother-to-be; she awoke to a very dreary day one where the gray clouds looked as if they would open any moment and bring the rains from the heavens down upon them. It was also very muggy which made her very uncomfortable on top of being sick. Yes into her nearly fifth month of pregnancy and the morning sickness finally kicked in for her; it wasn't as violent as Sango's had been but it was an all-day type of nausea and dizzy spells. But lucky for her she had the world's most considerate mate, whenever she was too dizzy or sick to leave the futon Inuyasha would go out and hunt or fish and bring back enough for all three meals of the day; it didn't take rocket science to cook meat over a flame… and after a few failed attempts at not burning the rice he was getting pretty good at making a decent meal.

"Hey mate… I brought lunch… you think you'll be okay to eat?" Inuyasha popped his head into the bedroom to make sure that she was one awake and two feeling well enough to eat.

Kagome had already shed the light blanket that was on the futon because of the heat and she was now in the process of removing her sleeping kimono from her sweat slick body, "Ugh… I really need a bath, I feel disgusting, lying in a puddle of my own sweat… I probably stink too."

Taking her complaining as a sign that she was feeling a little better the dog demon entered the room with the two bowls in his hands. "You had a bath yesterday and I'll have you know you smell heavenly right now," he placed the bowls down first as to not spill them and then he sat on the edge of the bedding just admiring the beauty that was his mate.

Kagome grabbed a small strip of cloth to use as a hair tie to pull up her mass of messy hair to get it off of her body hoping to relieve some of the heat, "I'm sure I don't honey but thank you for the complement anyway. And thank you for making lunch again, hopefully I'll be better by dinner so I can make you something… so what did my so handsome wonderful mate bring me?" Knowing she shouldn't complain about something she has no control over Kagome tried to be in higher spirits which was really hard to do since the sweat was still dripping from her body.

A smirk came to Inuyasha's face at her boost to his ego, "You forgot charming but I can overlook that this time, and I went down to the river to fetch some fish… it doesn't smell too fishy so I think it won't make you queasy."

Kagome's eyes narrowed at the mention of fish… there was one reason he would bring her that particular animal at this moment, "It's not liver is it?" She was never a big fan of that specific piece of meat from any animal, even when her mother would cook it, but she knew why he would try to make her eat it; but now in the past few weeks that the pregnancy has advanced she couldn't even be in the same room with a fish; just thinking about their slimy insides made her sick.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at her looks at their meal; he knew she didn't like liver and the fight that would ensue would leave him with a massive headache but she needed to eat it. Her last check up with Kaede revealed that her iron was low and that was the reason she was tired all the time; the liver was only to help her… if there was something that could help her that she liked he would go to the ends of the earth to get it for her. But sadly this was all they had at the moment so he would sit here for as long as it took to make sure she ate it all.

Knowing when given a challenge her mate would not back down from it, even if she tried to distract him with her feminine wiles, he was solid as a rock when it involved the baby's health these days. Not up for arguing at the moment Kagome released a deep sigh in defeat and took the bowl; she had to ignore the smug look of victory that was on Inuyasha's face before she sat him into the floor.

Meanwhile the demon was reeling in the fact that he won the fight with his moody pregnant mate without one sit leaving her mouth. But he knew not to push his luck and voice his triumph; no he remained quiet while watching Kagome eat her lunch. Inuyasha watched carefully as she chewed every bit of her meal but after a few minutes his eyes began to wonder lower than her mouth… hey he's a male and his woman was giving him a wonderful view of her body.

Since she was still hot, Kagome's sleeping kimono was bundled around her waist leaving her top half exposed to the humid air; sweat was still dripping down her neck and his sharp eyes followed a trail down to the valley of her breasts. Inuyasha cleared his throat of its tightness when he took in the full view of her bountiful cleavage, Miroku was right about when a woman was with child their bust line extended; Kagome's breasts had grown heavier in the last month or two filling with the milk that would nourish their child. Of course for a the past couple of days with them being so sore due to their growth Kagome has not been wearing her chest wrappings which obviously was a major distraction to her mate.

Pushing away his perverted thoughts, and shifting slightly to ease the tightness in his hakama, another down side to Kagome being sick was that she didn't want to be intimate anytime soon which meant Inuyasha had to use his hand more often than usual to relieve himself, he forced his attention on the little bump just barely sticking out from under both the blanket and kimono; a boost of male pride shot through him seeing the evidence of their union growing healthy in Kagome's belly… at that moment he wanted nothing more than to reach over and caress her stomach like he did at night but thought better of it because she would sit him with her crazy mood swings.

"What are you staring at?" Kagome's semi-heated words caught Inuyasha's sensitive hearing and when he drew his eyes back up her body to her slowly narrowing eyes he knew he better explain quickly or he would be eating floor board really soon.

"No-Nothing… I wasn't really staring at anything."

"Don't lie you were totally staring at my body what I am too fat for you now… do you not want me a-anymore because I've gained a-a little w-weight?" Her anger changed suddenly to tears which Inuyasha hated and he panicked… and when he panics he tends to allow his mouth to run without his brain's approval.

"I… I wouldn't say a-a little weight bu-."

"You are calling me fat! Well I'll have you know Mr. Demon that my weight gaining problem is entirely your fault, I didn't get myself pregnant!"

Inuyasha felt like he just got whiplash as Kagome went from weeping to attack mood against him, "W-Wha… no that's not what I meant!"

"Well then what did you mean… I'm waiting."

Before he let his mouth get him into more trouble Inuyasha quickly leaned forward and urgently pressed his lips to hers to appease her rage and show in his own way that he still wanted her. But when he pulled away and expected to see a smile on her face, and all he saw was the frown, he knew he would have to tell her what she wanted to hear. "You're not fat, you've gained weight yes but that is so the pup can be healthy when you give birth to it. And yes I was staring," this time Inuyasha did brave her wrath to reach out and caress her rounded belly, "I was staring at this because I still can't believe you have graced me with this gift."

He again looked down to her belly stilling his hand over the bump as he felt the slightest flutter against his palm; a look of aw came to his features as he realized the pup was moving within his mate. "Some days I wake up thinking all of this was a dream; that I'll wake alone in the woods with no home, no friends… and no you. It may seem silly to you but I was a half demon, I wasn't meant to live passed my birth and yet here I am with a mate and pup on the way. That is why I can't stop staring at you, because if I blink it will all go away," Inuyasha laid his head on Kagome's shoulder and breathed in her sweet scent.

Kagome was in tears once more and quickly pulled him into her arms, mindful of both her tender chest and the baby bump, "Oh Inuyasha I'm so sorry I snapped at you, I didn't mean to; and you should know by now after all this time it's not a dream. I'm here and real and so is our pup and nothing will take us away," she brushed her nose against his and gave a small purring sound from the back of her throat which caused the little hairs on Inuyasha's ears to stand up on end.

He pulled her to him and, after putting their empty bowls to the floor, he laid them both on the futon to cuddle; Kagome fell asleep a little while later and Inuyasha enjoyed her even breathing along with the soft pitter-patter of the rain outside that drew him into his own light sleep.

* * *

The next morning, after begging her mate to take her to the river to bathe, Kagome was in higher spirits with the start of this beautiful day. She was feeling much better than the previous day and with the rain that came the air was so much cooler that she decided to sit on the veranda and watch Inuyasha chop up wood in the yard rather than stay inside; too busy herself Kagome took up sewing, much like when Sango was expecting the girls, and had quite the pile of baby things all knitted up.

Inuyasha's ears twitched as they picked up her squeals of excitement, he couldn't help by roll his eyes when he looked over to see she had a pair of very tiny feet trappers. "Why do you keep making those things, yeah the twins like them, but trust me our pup won't," Inuyasha had to hide his smirk when the frown appeared on Kagome's face.

"And why do you say that? Just because you never used to wear shoes and socks doesn't mean the baby will; I'll have you know I loved wearing booties when I was a baby… maybe they'll take after me," Kagome smiled again placing the socks on the pile of clothes she was working on. "And besides… don't you wear shoes now you hypocrite."

"Hypo-what? And I only wear the boots because it's a long trip from here to the western palace that's all. And I was only giving you fair warning since the pup will probably have hind claws and rip those flimsy things up anyway," Inuyasha turned away from his mate's disbelieving expression to continue chopping up the logs into smaller pieces for fire wood.

Around lunch time when the sun was at its highest point for the day Kagome had gone in to the hut to both cool down and whip up a quick meal for her mate. Inuyasha was still outside just finishing up with his chores when his brother's odor came to his nose on the wind, "Oh great now what does he want?"

The dog demon knew his brother was not heading into the village to see Rin since his scent was stronger than if he were walking to Kaede's hut; which meant Sesshomaru was making his way here to speak with him. Putting his ax by the stump he used to chop wood Inuyasha made his way up on to the veranda to get out of the sun and wait for the lord to show himself. A few minutes later the sun's rays bounced off an object at the forest edge to draw Inuyasha's attention; Sesshomaru appeared from the brush a second later and walk to the lone hut.

"Keh, what do you want now Sesshomaru… every time you show up it's some type of emergency, "Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and then leaned against one of the wood poles that held up the attachment he built to the hut.

"You were successful in dispatching the humans?" Sesshomaru's question caused the younger brother to flinch and with his sharp eyes he didn't miss it. "You did go after them; this Sesshomaru gave you strict orders to do so."

"What orders, you have me a general location of where they could possibly be; I went and neither were in the village or surrounding area, I checked the neighboring towns too and nothing."

"So you have given up… and here this Sesshomaru thought your cowardliness would have left you with the loss of your human blood."

"I'm no coward; I spent two months chasing after them with no results… I was wasting time running around without a lead so I returned home. Upon arrival I learned I was needed here and I will remain until further notice," Inuyasha thought about Kagome inside the hut and he refused to do his brother's bidding no matter what he said.

"Yes… Rin has informed this Sesshomaru that your human mate is pupped finally."

Inuyasha growled at the ending comment, "Yeah… we found out a few months ago that she was expecting, you're going to be an uncle you bastard; the real question would be are you going to treat my pup the way you treated me when I was a half demon?"

The two dogs stood squaring off for a few minutes waiting to see what the other would do first. Sesshomaru, as alpha male of the pack, wished to enter the hut and examine the breeding female for himself; it was his right to see if she was worthy enough to carry on his father's line. This pup was very important to the clan as well, since he had no children of his own Inuyasha was the west's heir meaning this pup would be the continuation of the prestigious line that hadn't seen a little one in over two hundred years. Inuyasha however wasn't letting him pass, his instinct to protect his vulnerable mate is what fueled his actions… he was not going to allow a strong male anywhere near her.

"This Sesshomaru is no fool, I have seen the pup the woman will bear and his power is far greater than any I have ever fought… even our father's great power would not stand a chance against the boy."

"So because of the power he will possess you will respect him? What is the difference between that and what I had; clearly I am the stronger of the two of us, even when I was a half demon, and yet you treated me like trash up until two years ago," Inuyasha was pleased that his pure demon, hating half demon, brother would be fair to his nephew; but the anger boiled deep within him when he remembered all the encounters he had with Sesshomaru in the past and how he was treated by his only blood relative.

"You were weak and unworthy of father's blood as you were; however, you did grow stronger when the human began to follow you around. And then some how you overcame the human blood within you thus finally making you this Sesshomaru's equal."

'_So because Inu had a god's help he has the bastard's respect when I fought to stay alive all my life and he wouldn't even acknowledge that I was father's pup!' _Inuyasha pushed his rage aside to focus on more important matters, "Feh, so when my pup is born you won't try to kill it correct… because I warn you now Sesshomaru any ill-will you show towards it and you'll not only face my wrath but Kagome's as well." He felt he got his point across and so he entered the hut where he knew Kagome would have lunch already prepared; he wasn't too surprised when he felt his brother was right behind him.

"Inuyasha, there you are; lunch has been ready for nearly a half an hour… it's probably cold by now. Just what were yo-… Sesshomaru?" Kagome had been sitting by the low fire waiting for her mate to join her so they could eat; when she heard the door open she wasn't expecting her brother-in-law to be joining them.

"Feh yeah Sesshomaru is joining us… he has business to attend to here," Inuyasha moved towards the fire and moved the spits of meat away from the flames.

Kagome was slightly uneasy with the older dog in her hut when she was pregnant, she placed a hand on her rounded belly to protect her unborn child; but since her mate didn't seem to be worried with his brother being there she relaxed and sat by Inuyasha while grabbing the still warm pot to pour a third cup of tea for their guest.

"Sesshomaru, would you like some rabbit… it isn't much but I could whip up something else for you," Kagome blushed in embarrassment at having her lord brother-in-law sitting in her home with mere scraps of food to offer.

"Keh, relax Kagome he won't eat human food no matter what or how you cook it… besides he ain't here for a social call," Inuyasha took a cabob and handed it to his mate; there were several skewers by the fire which meant she was waiting for him to start eating. Kagome took the food but waited for Sesshomaru's response before eating; the dog lord sat across from his brother without saying a word… though he did however take the cup of tea his pack sister offered.

After the couple ate, because Inuyasha refused to have Kagome asking his brother questions as to his visit on an empty stomach, the three adults sat around the now cooled fire pit enjoying their tea.

"Sesshomaru-sama, may I ask as to your visit to us… normally you only are this close to the village to either see Rin-chan or to take Inuyasha back to the palace." Though Kagome was shocked to see the demon lord at her door an hour ago, after giving herself some time she was less intimated by the powerful demon and able to ask her questions.

Sesshomaru was a little surprised by her boldness towards him but he deemed it the hormones coursing through her tiny body that came with carrying a pup; he would allow her chic only because she was breeding the next heir to their clan. "This Sesshomaru was told of your breeding and as the alpha of our pack it is my responsibility to see to the pup's wellbeing."

"E-Excuse me?" Kagome didn't like his response and she cautiously slid closer to her mate for his protection; smelling his woman's fear brought Inuyasha's instincts forward and a deadly growl left his lips as he pulled Kagome to his side.

The older dog's patience was limited due to his brother's stupidity but he could do nothing but wait out both their uneasiness so he may being; he would have to be cautious around the female as they are jittery when pups are involved. "Inuyasha, you know our laws and my right as alpha."

Inuyasha's growl dropped an octave before he could quiet it completely, "He's right Kagome." He pulled her into his embrace to calm her, "Relax mate he won't hurt you or the pup… I'll make sure of it," he nuzzled her cheek in affection. Inuyasha knew that his brother wouldn't harm her but all the worrying could cause the pup discomfort so she needed to be relaxed.

While Inuyasha was softly talking to Kagome, Sesshomaru moved closer to them and placed his hand on the woman's belly. The room grew silent suddenly when the massive wave of the demon lord's aura came over them; Kagome's spiritual energy shot up to fight the empowerment and small sparks crackled above their heads.

Inuyasha's ears folded back at one particularly loud pop that was close to his head, "Hey Sesshomaru, how much longer you going to be?"

"It would not take half as long if your woman's spiritual energy would stop fighting me," Sesshomaru glared at the hand that was on Kagome's stomach; he could feel the skin of his palm burning away but with his fast healing abilities the pain was a mere annoyance to him.

"I'm sorry Sesshomaru-sama, I'm not doing it on purpose… really."

"It ain't her fault so lay off bastard!" The younger dog growled in defense of his mate.

Before the other demon could yet again reprimand his beta male about challenging him a powerful zap shot through his body causing him to rip his hand away from Kagome's stomach, _'What… what was that?'_

Inuyasha saw his brother's reaction and became alert, "What… what happened? What did you do Sesshomaru… if you hurt her… Kagome are you alright?"

"I'm fine Inuyasha really I didn't feel anything," Kagome knew if she didn't calm her over protective mate now he would blow everything out of proportion… which he tended to do most of the time anyway.

Sesshomaru wasn't even listening to his brother's ranting as he was too busy trying to figure out what just happened; his mind couldn't process that his hand was now bleeding quite heavily due to the shock he just received. _'How is this possible?'_ It was a common ritual that all dog demons went through, the head of the pack must review every pup's worth to the clan even before their birth… if they show signs of weakness it is for the good of the pack that the breeding be terminated before birth. To humans it would seem cruel but to be weak at birth would leave the pup to suffer in life and intern suffer a slow and painful death possibly as fast as a few days after its birth; so it was only right for the alpha to give a runt a peaceful death.

The only way to know an unborn pup's strength is for the alpha of the clan to manipulate his aura into the breeding female's pupped belly to test the pup's own aura; Sesshomaru may not have performed a lot of these rituals, because there are only a small few females remaining in their distant pack, but out of all the ones he has done… not once was he ever attacked by the unborn child.

"Sesshomaru-sama, I'm so sorry."

The demon lord pulled his injured hand into his kimono so Inuyasha wouldn't see it and make a fuss; he then stood and left the hut without a word to the couple. "Inuyasha, I've never seen your brother like that… I wonder what happened," Kagome rubbed her stomach when she felt the baby move in either excitement or agitation over what its uncle just did.

"I don't know but I will go find out; listen I want you to go lay down for a while, I can sense the pup's excitement over what just happened and I want you both to calm down." Inuyasha kissed her forehead to cool the fire he could already see in her eyes due to his demand of her, lately she has being fighting every suggestion he made concerning her and the pup; but he wasn't going to allow her to argue about this time, Sesshomaru's demonic aura might not affect her at the moment but she will feel drained later and so her mate just wanted her to be careful.

Once Kagome was resting Inuyasha slipped outside to have a word with his brother; he could smell Sesshomaru clearly when he opened the door which meant the demon was still in the area and wanted to talk to him. "Alright tell me what just happened in there! If you put either of them in danger I'll-."

"Your mate and pup are fine brother," the demon lord cut off his sibling's hollering as he wasn't in the mood to listen to it. His hand was still bleeding and didn't seem to be stopping anytime soon; showing such weakness annoyed him greatly and gave him a short temper.

"Well then… what was that blast of power? Kagome's powers have been a little off yeah but they wouldn't shoot off like that unless she was in danger," Inuyasha's temper cooled when he was told Kagome and his child were not in danger.

Sesshomaru turned to look over his shoulder at his little brother, "It was not your woman's power… the pup she carries is very strong and will serve the clan well." That was all that was said and Sesshomaru left the clearing and his brother to think over his words.

* * *

After Sesshomaru's visit things began to change, Kagome was still growing and the baby was healthy according to Kaede; and Inuyasha was finally dragged away from her side, much to her relief since he had been driving her crazy. Miroku had been inching to go on an extermination but with the summer heat coming in most rogue demon were too overheated to attack villages, the only known acts were from towns days away up north where it was a little cooler; but in order to go to those villages he would need Inuyasha to go with him.

It was like pulling teeth to get the dog away from his woman and after several hours of begging with no results he had to go to plan B… beg Kagome and use his daughters if need be. Her mate was already annoying her a lot that particular week and so Kagome threatened to sit him into the floor if he didn't go with his friend; so, practically kicking and screaming, Inuyasha was following a very happy Miroku out of the village a little while later.

"Ugh, thank the kami… he was plucking my last nerve the past of couple of days; I love the man but a girl needs some alone time." Kagome was sitting in Sango's hut while her friend was busy sewing up a new pair of hakama for the pregnant woman. Kagome was due in about a month, with Inuaysha's demon blood the child would be born in late summer rather than fall like Sango's children were; but until that time she was rapidly growing out of all her clothes and so Sango was trying to help her out.

"Is he really that bad Kagome? It is his first child… he's just trying to keep you safe and comfortable."

"He won't even let me go to the bathroom alone, he's afraid I'll fall over and hurt myself or stumble into poison ivy; it's rather embarrassing actually," Kagome had become rather self-conscious of her body in the past few weeks with the rapid growth she's experienced, swollen body parts and stretch marks were not her idea of beautiful; Inuyasha has told her countless times how gorgeous she was but she refused to believe him and always became upset when he would want her to sleep bear with him… he knew with the heat she was uncomfortable while in bed with her night dressing on but she refused his offer.

Sango knew the agitation her friend was going through, during the last few months of her pregnancy she was ready to kill Miroku for his hovering; to save his life she would always remained herself that he was only trying to comfort her during the stressful time. "I know he's driving you crazy right now but is there anything he's done recently that you don't want to sit him for?"

Kagome sat quietly for a few minutes thinking over Sango's words then a sly smile overcame her features and her entire body relaxed into the cushion she was sitting on, "Well there is one thing… he's great his hands."

At Kagome's confession Sango was so shocked she nearly drew the needle she had been sewing with straight through her finger as a blush began to heat her cheeks, "Excuse m-me? He's g-good with what?"

"His hands… he gives the best massages; he stumbled around in the beginning but man is he a fast learner, anytime I have an ache he immediately wants to help… I think he's so eager because it's the only time I've let him touch me in the last few weeks so he's happy with what he's getting," Kagome was in a much better mood concerning her mate with bringing up the benefits he has done to her body recently.

Sango was very relieved that she wasn't going to talk about their bedroom acts so openly, yes she has gotten use to Kagome freely speaking about intimate act but she just didn't want to hear about it right now; she merely smiled and went back to her sowing enjoying the quiet of the afternoon. The silence was quickly shattered though when a loud rumble followed by and explosion drew the women's' attention.

"What was that!"

"I'm not sure Kagome."

With the heat as intense as it was on this day Sango had keep the door to the hut open to allow what little air was moving to come inside; by doing this it gave the women the opportunity to witness several men from the village run by with spears and bows in their hands.

"Stay here Kagome," not wanting her very pregnant to start and panic by what they saw Sango put down her sewing and stood to see what was happening. "Excuse me… excu-… Yoshi-kun over here!" She stood at the door and flagged over a young boy that sometimes helped her carry water buckets from the river, "Yoshi-kun, what is going on? Do you know what that explosion was?"

"A demon has appeared in the fields and my father and the other men have gone to drive it away since Inuyasha-sama is not here."

"What type of demon is it?" Sango knew how dangerous having a rogue demon near the villager's main food supply was; it needed to be taken care of quickly.

"Yes uh… it's a giant demon mantis… uh I must go now and help my father," the young boy took up his spear and took off in the direction the other men went too.

"A mantis demon… but those aren't native to these lands; someone or something must have driven it here."

"Sango, what did Yoshi-kun say? What was the cause of the explosion?" Kagome gingerly got up from her pillow and waddled over to the other girl; she couldn't hear Sango's conversation with the boy but she wanted to know what caused the village men to scurry off like rats in the direction of the fields.

"There's a small demon problem in the fields but nothing to worry about," Sango she couldn't lie to her friend, if the men couldn't drive away the demon and it came into the village it would better prepare Kagome if she was told.

"A demon… well we have to go help them," Kagome tried to move pass the other woman and go to her hut to grab her bow; with her mate and Miroku out of the village only Sango and she could stop this demon.

"Kagome wait stop! You can't go out there and fight, you're in no condition to do so… think about the baby."

Kagome stopped mid step and clutched her belly in panic, she completely forgot about her delicate condition; what kind of mother would put her unborn child in that kind of danger without thinking. "I-I forgot… I can't go and help them," the expecting mother turned and went back over to the pillow she had been on earlier.

"It's okay Kagome, with your good heart all you wanted to do was help," Sango went back to her sleeping quarter for a brief moment; when she came back she had Hiraikotsu slung over her shoulder. "Kagome, can you remain here with the girls? I'm going to the village border and just make sure the men have everything under control." She was a bit rusty with her old weapon but over the last few weeks, while Miroku watched the girls, Sango was able to get a little time in to practice once more with the massive demon bone; she wasn't back up to her slaying status in her opinion but she could still hold her own against a demon.

"Sango please you must be careful," Kagome was already on edge about the situation and the other woman hadn't even left yet.

"I will Kagome, don't worry."

* * *

Telling a pregnant woman not to worry will only make her worry more; Sango had been gone for a little over twenty minutes and already Kagome was envisioning her hurt. "No stop that! Sango is a demon slayer and just because she hasn't fought in over two years does not mean she will get hurt by a simple bug… though mantis demons are rather big."

"Did you say something Kagome-sama?" Rin popped her head in from the bedroom where the babies were napping; ten minutes ago Kaede had stopped by to check on them and dropped the child off while she continued on to the fields to see if she could be of any help. With Kagome's condition Rin immediately volunteered to look after the twins for her while she rested; but resting was only giving her time to think about what could be happening to her friends.

"No no I'm fine Rin-chan, you know I think I'm just going to check on Sango and see what's happening."

But before Kagome could get to her feet and head for the door Rin dashed across the room and blocked the door, "No Kagome-sama! You can't go; Kaede-sama told me I was to watch over you while everyone was dealing with the demon."

"But Rin, I'm not going to be anywhere near the fighting… I just want to make sure that no one is hurt and then I'll be right back," Kagome's plea didn't fool the child as Rin narrowed her chocolate orbs at the older girl.

"No Kagome-sama, what would Inuyasha-sama do if he were here?"

Kagome pouted and plopped back down on the cushion, "He would probably seal the door of our hut closed with a boulder or something else to keep me locked in… then he would go after the demon."

A relieved sigh left Rin's mouth as she was happy that she wouldn't have to force the woman to stay inside the hut, "Yes he would and if he would do that he would be really angry if I let you go out there now."

"Hiraikotsu!"

Before Kagome could protest about her mate's actions Sango's battle cry rang out very close to the hut causing both Kagome and Rin to stand up and go to the door. Practically ripping the reed mat off the door both girls cautiously stuck their heads outside to see what was going on. Rin was the first to notice the demon bug over the tops or seven or eight huts away from the one they were in; Sango was on the path blocking the mantis from advancing farther into the village.

Kagome moved completely out of the safety of the hut causing Rin to panic, "Kagome-sama, please come back inside… it's not safe!"

"I'm fine Rin just go back inside and look after the girls… I'll be alright." Knowing an order when she heard one Rin but the inside of her cheek and, despite not wanting to obey, she went back in to check on the sleeping twins.

Kagome watched as the bone boomerang flew towards the giant but again and tore through its chest cavity; spewing purple acid like blood all over the ground. _'Eww! There's a reason why I hate bugs!'_ She felt queasy as she watched the pool of blood begin to bubble on the ground. The beast's scream of pain drew her attention as it threw its massive arms in the air and then slammed them into the ground causing the earth to shake violently.

Kagome braced herself as the ground cracked and the huts swayed; the villagers were leaving their homes to see what was causing all the noise… seeing the demon caused several women to scream and the wide spread panic throughout the group. The demon saw the people running and it forgot about the wound on its chest and started to advance intending to go after its next meal… if it wasn't for Sango stopping it again.

"Not a chance, you're getting pass me, my daughters are in there and I will protect them with my life!" Sango once again threw Hiraikotsu at the beast; with the monster brining its arms up again to slam back into the ground, the boomerang sliced clean through the upper part of the left arm.

The mantis screaked out in severe pain at losing its arm; it then began to thrash around slipping its blood everywhere and causing Sango to have to dodge several sprays at it was at that moment she wished Kirara was there. In a panic the demon was swing its remaining limb around in fury to keep Sango from cutting that off too.

While Sango was busy dodging the acid blood she didn't see when the mantis' red eyes locked onto her or when its arm came crashing down; the attack was too quick for her to block with Hiraikotsu so when she was hit it catapulted her a good twenty feet away.

"Sango!" Kagome witnessed the blind side attack on her friend and wanted to go to her side and check her injuries but the baby she was carrying prevented her from doing so. _'Sango… get up! Get up!'_ A chill ran down Kagome's spine when she noticed that Hiraikotsu was dislodged from Sango's back during the hit; even if the demon slayer were awake to defend herself the demon bone was completely out of reach to her.

The demon noticed its attacker was no longer conscious and now moved over the woman intending to get its revenge… most likely by eating her and then it would go after the remaining villagers. Kagome saw the demon's intentions and she could no longer stand by and watch Sango be killed; despite the baby in her belly and Inuyasha's temper that she was going to have to deal with when he got back, Kagome moved away from the hut and towards the demon. She knew the risk was great with no one else there to protect her, but she couldn't just let Sango get hurt; and that's why she went forward despite her fear. Her powers have been acting strangely for the past few weeks ever since Sesshomaru had visited and even before that they barely worked since she became pregnant… walking into this danger now she had no idea what was to happen. "Hey you… ugly bug! Leave her alone!"

The mantis didn't bother to acknowledge the human approaching it; after it finished with its attacker then it could go on to the dessert that was coming to it. The demon bent down and opened its tonged shaped mouth full of razor sharp teeth and moved toward Sango again.

'_No Sango… it won't stop and I'm too far away to reach her!'_ In her panic Kagome tried to access her malfunctioning powers to stop the demon and save her friend; but in trying to do that something strange happened. Instead of her normal light blue spiritual power, or the pure white aura that had been appearing for the past year or so nothing of the sort happened this time.

Just when she thought all was lost the demon suddenly froze inches from Sango's form; it then jerked its head up and began to contort in what looked like pain. _'What's happening? What is doing that to it?'_ Kagome looked around puzzled trying to find out who attacked the great beast; but other than her no one else was around. The demon's screeching drew her back to it and now she saw that most of its massive body was engulfed in pitch black light; but what scared her more was that the hand she had raised to draw forth her power was also glowing the same black.

"Oh god… w-what is happening?"

* * *

**Note: I felt I was going in circles near the end... I just kept repeating myself with different words. Basically fluff chapter I needed to speed up the months so Kagome will be giving birth in the next chapter. She got pregnant in early March but didn't find out about it until early May; it's now mid August and the pup will be born in mid September. Which will make Inuyasha and Kagome mated for almost two years and she's about 18... her age will play apart later. But back on track... what's up with Kagome's powers? They attacked Sesshomaru and now they're black... as in a dark miko maybe?**

**This chapter is raw and I need to go back over it for spelling mistakes later.**

**Thanks to:  
**Kairifreak  
correctormaritza  
Yumi Stern  
BugBite14  
Lady Elisabeth  
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	30. A kami's appearance

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

**Note: I've never done this before for any of my stories but I felt it should be done for this chapter so I'm dedicating this chapter to a faitherful reviewer Ldsprincess. She's been with me throughout both stories and even while in the hospital she reviewed the last chapter... and true fan worthy of recognition.**

* * *

'_Kagome… Kagome?'_

'_Ugh… what happened? When… when did I pass out; it seems like I've been doing that a lot lately,'_ Kagome slowly opened her eyes careful as to not catch the sun and cause her headache to worsen.

"Oh Kagome are you alright?"

"Calm yeself child, let her fully awaken first before you bombard her with questions."

When her eyes finally adjusted to the dim light Kagome was able to see that she was laying on her back inside a hut, she wasn't sure who's at the moment, with Sango and Kaede and Rin looking over her. "Sango… you're okay."

Seeing her sister up and about brought back the memories of what happened earlier that day; while trying to stop the mantis a new magic came forth from Kagome and after engulfing the demon the giant beast just disappeared. The amount of power that took to vanquish the mantis and having it flow through her body had caused Kagome to pass out; remembering all this now and her blacking out sent panic through her at what could have happened during the fall. Kagome sat up from the futon she had been lying on with a gasp as she placed her hand on her belly to make sure her child was still safe.

"Relax child, I've already checked on the little one while ye were resting… everything is alright," Kaede could see the worry in the young girl's eyes over her child and she wanted to put her fears to ease.

"Kagome, why did you leave the hut? Do you realize how dangerous it was to be out there?" Sango didn't mean to berate her best friend but when she awoke to find Kagome unconscious on the ground she got really scared.

"Sango, calm down… causing her to worry now won't be good for either of them," the old priestess glared at the young slayer for her words; putting more stress on Kagome could harm the baby this far along in the pregnancy and she would have none of that, "Why don't ye do check on your children dear, all the commotion may have startled them."

The woman wanted to say in rebuttal but a soft cry from the other room drew her away which also answered Kagome's question as to whose hut she was in.

"Kaede-sama, are you sure my baby is alright?"

"Aye child, I have examined both of you and there is nothing I have detected to be wrong… did something happen?" The priestess moved over to the fire that had been lit and removed the pot of boiling water from it to pour three cups of tea.

"Well… I'm not sure really, while I was outside watching Sango fight the mantis something happened. I was trying to use my powers to destroy the demon like I've done before but instead of doing that this dark power erupted from me and I think it vanquished the demon… I'm happy that the creature wasn't able to hurt Sango or anyone else but that has never happened before… and I'm scared it will happen again."

Sango came over with Aki in her arms all while listening to Kaede's explanation, "That's not all we need to worry about Kagome, when I came to several of the villagers had returned and may have seen what happened… I am afraid they may think you have become a dark priestess."

"A what!" Kagome's mind immediately went to Tsubaki and her cursed serpent that nearly killed her three years ago… surely she had done nothing to turn into an evil witch.

"Do not jump to such conclusions girls, there be very good explanations for all that has happened," Kaede wanted to calm the situation down as to not worry the expecting mother.

"L-Like what Kaede-sama?" Kagome was hanging off any word the old woman could give her to raise her spirits.

"Ye last examination ye said your powers had not been working correctly yes? Well when you put into account Inuyasha's demon blood this could have happened. The child you carry has a very strong demonic presences that you may not be able to control at this point in your pregnancy; or Inuyasha's aura is just strong within your body when you are 'together' and your powers are trying to keep it at bay thus you are not able to access your powers at this time."

'_The baby's very strong?'_ "So my powers are dormant because of the pregnancy I could be tapping into the baby's?"

"Precisely… or the little one could sense that you were in danger from the demon and it took it upon itself to protect you."

"Kagome isn't that great, Inu is trying to protect you within the womb… that's so cute!"

Kagome didn't hear a word the other woman said as her brain was still trying to get over the fact that her baby may have powers. _'But how… how is that possible? Even if this baby is Inu he got those powers from when he made the pact with __Amatsu-Mikaboshi_ _and gain So'unga as a weapon. Has this baby already been cursed with that fate… it's not even born yet and we weren't able to protect it?'_ When Kagome suddenly burst into tears neither women knew how to comfort her.

* * *

Two days later when the men returned and Inuyasha found out what happened while he was away he went ballistic. "What do you mean she attacked a demon! She's pupped she shouldn't be doing anything other than resting! And she fainted… was she checked, is the pup okay!"

"Inuyasha, please would ye calm down… I do not need the entire village to be at my door step because of your yelling," Kaede calmly stoked the fire while the enraged demon paced rapidly behind her trying to get her to answer his questions.

"Well that's it if the villagers can't protect themselves from simple demons like that and Kagome has to step in, and possibly get hurt while doing so; then I'm not leaving the village until after the pup is born," Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest as to make the statement final.

"Inuyasha do not be ridiculous… if Miroku needs your help with exterminations then you're going with him," Kagome was sitting opposite the old priestess crushing herbs for her to make medicine later. The expecting mother had gotten over the shock from two days before that concerned her child, she decided she could not fret over things she could not control; however she has not told Inuyasha actually how she destroyed the demon that attacked the village… and the way he was acting now she was glad she didn't.

"Kagome, I can't risk you getting hurt by something that could come into the village while I'm away… that mantis is not the only demon out there," Inuyasha was at his mate's side kneeling, speaking to her softly, trying to persuade her to see reason and have her change her mind in making him go.

Kagome smiled and took his clenched hand in hers, "You must go and help Miroku if he needs it; what would happen if he were alone and attacked… what would happen to Sango and the girls? We are fine here, the men were just unprepared for the demon that is all; you keep the woods around the village safe, that mantis was a fluke… we will be ready next time."

"I don't want you to need to be ready my mate, I should be here to protect you; what would have happened if you didn't vanquish the demon and had passed out… I can't bear the thought of losing you." Inuyasha leaned forward and nuzzled the skin of his mate's cheek with his nose; the mere thought of losing both her and the pup caused great despair to course through him.

Kagome could sense his grief and sought to comfort him, "You will not lose us, and I have faith that you are strong enough to do both."

With his rage cooled Kagome decided it was time to return to their own hut for the day; she has become tired often lately and she hoped she wasn't becoming sick so close to her time of birth. Just thinking about that day being so close both excited and feared her; she desperately wanted to meet her child and present it to Inuyasha with pride. But she also feared the pain that came with birthing, and the possibility of death; she also feared what has become of the babe she carried… has Amatsu-Mikaboshi already placed the baby in his service or is he yet to come upon them?

Kagome's thoughts were broken up when Inuyasha's strong arms enveloped her from behind, "What you thinking about woman?"

His husky, playful growl caused her to giggle, "Nothing really… just thinking about when the pup will be born is all… how our lives will be different."

Inuyasha could sense the hesitation in her voice when she spoke, "What will be different? Yeah we'll have to look after the pup but it won't be no different than when you looked after the runt when we were hunting for Naraku."

"Actually it will be a lot different than watching Shippo; our baby will need a lot more attention than a walking, talking fox child. And when I meant different I meant our baby will be… gifted, with a god wanting it who knows what could happen."

Inuyasha remained silent while his mate spoke and he thought over her words; he also remembered the plea from Kagome's future self about changing Inu's fate when he's born. He hadn't forgotten his promise to the woman and he intended to keep that promise. "Don't worry mate… I won't let that happen." Kagome didn't understand what his words meant but she didn't have the heart to tell him that the baby may already be lost to them.

* * *

Over the next few weeks the boys were back and forth on exterminations; Miroku had managed to convince Inuyasha that he would need the money to care for the coming baby and so they stepped it up and were hardly ever home now. Luckily the village was not attacked by any powerful demons while they were gone; the tiny ones that stopped by Sango could easily take care of and this kept Kagome from having to get involved.

Kagome decided she would not try to use her powers for any reason for the rest of her pregnancy in case that dark magic decided to show itself again; she didn't want to encourage the baby she was carrying to use its' possessed powers to help her. But apparently the baby had a conscious mind of its own while in the womb because every time Kagome become upset or frustrated over something the little one would use that time to possess its mother's body and let lose its' power.

Kagome was now sitting outside her hut watching Rin play with Sango's daughters just in front of the veranda. Sango was inside whipping up a quick lunch of grilled rabbit and rice for them and Kaede was currently in the neighboring village helping with a sick child and that was why Rin was there.

A smile came to Kagome's lips while watching the twelve year old girl sing a silly song to the nearly ten month old twins; it was amazing that Takara and Aki were going to be a year old in only two months. They were growing so fast, already they both could sit up and Takara had started to crawl which meant Aki was eager to there too; that was the thing about the twins, they were always in competition, when one had something the other would do anything to get it. And Kagome had been right about them becoming different as night and day as they grew, Takara was more forceful in getting her way than Aki, the young twin was very passive; and even their features changed enough for complete strangers to tell them apart. Both girls had inherited their father's dark amethyst colored eyes and their mother's tanner skin complexion but over the last few months Takara's hair had grown to a chocolate brown where Aki's remained black; watching the babies from behind Kagome could easily pick out which one was which without seeing the colorful socks on their feet.

Rin then said something that made Aki scream out in excitement and Kagome's stomach fluttered as the baby sent a sharp kick to one of her kidneys. "Hey easy there you… what did daddy say about hurting mommy with your super strength?"

"He's kicking huh? I remember when the girls did that; Miroku always made jokes about them practicing their demon slaying and I told him he could carry the next one then," Sango came out on to the porch with their afternoon meal.

Kagome rubbed her stomach to calm the baby, "Yeah well this one isn't practicing to be a demon slayer I can tell you that, the baby only gets this active when someone else is rowdy; it's like they're playing soccer with my organs. Inuyasha said I should keep the baby calm or they could really hurt me with the kicking… but obviously we're not going to listen to daddy huh?"

"He's just ready to be born I'm sure Kagome, you're due any day now right; I mean you look like you're ready to burst."

Kagome brushed off Sango's comment as to not get upset, and stress the baby, and instead focused back on the children in the yard. _'But she is right; with Inuyasha's blood I should be due anytime… I just hope he's in the village when the time comes, I don't think I can do this alone.'_ Kagome tried to calm her fears of giving birth alone; she didn't notice the heavy picking jar on the side of the hut begin to glow black and levitate from its' place for a second before plopping back down to the earth.

* * *

It happened a few nights later, Inuyasha had returned from his longest trip in nearly a year that morning and Kagome had thought the baby was just excited to hear its' father's voice; but as the day went on the fluttering in her stomach became an ache which by dinner time became a pinch. She tried to hide the discomfort from her mate but every time she took in a sharp breath his ear would twitch in her direction.

"Kagome, are you okay?"

"W-What? Oh yeah… it's just a bit of an upset stomach really; a little bug has been going around the village the past couple of days and I think I may have caught it," Kagome gave a tentative smile hoping he would drop it there.

But Inuyasha didn't drop it, "You're sick? Well shouldn't we go to Kaede so she can give you something… will this affect the pup, we should go over there now before it gets too dark."

"No! I mean everything is okay really we don't need to bother Kaede with this; besides she can't give me anything because I'm pregnant… I'm just going to go lay down after I rinse the dishes off."

Well Inuyasha wasn't convinced that she was okay but he wasn't going to push her; he did however direct her to lie down right away and he would clean the dishes for her. After he cleaned up the main room and put out the fire Inuyasha retired to his room quietly as to not wake his sleeping mate; ever since he got home something has been bothering her and tonight he would keep a silent vigil over her in case she needed him.

It didn't matter how quiet her demon lover had been coming into the room because Kagome had not been asleep; she was too worried about what was going on with her baby, she was scared… scared that if they went to Kaede she would say there was a problem with the pup. The young woman was laying on her side on the futon in a fetal position wishing the pain would do away; ever once and a while she would rub her stomach trying to calm it down and suppress the tears that were threating to spill from her eyes… if Inuyasha smelled them her whole charade would be ruined.

Somehow maybe an hour or so later Kagome had managed to fall asleep; but that only lasted so long as around the latest hour of the night a searing pain shot down the base of her spine causing her to scream out.

Inuyasha had intended to stay up all night and keep an eye out for his mate but exhaustion from the four day travel back and forth from the village took its toll on him and he nodded off a little while after he laid down. He awoke from his dead like sleep when Kagome's screams reached his ears; he shot up like a rabbit out of a smoked out hole and immediately began searching for the danger in their hut. When he found no danger he turned to question his mate as to why she woke him but the rant died on his tongue when he saw the sweat pouring from her body and the obvious pain on her face; the grip she had on the sheets was so tight her knuckles were turning white and she let out another bone chilling cry as she clutched her swollen belly.

"Kagome! Kagome what's wrong!" Fear like nothing he ever experience coursed through him as he crawled back to her side and tried to figure out what was wrong and how he could help her.

The second he was at her side Kagome dropped the blanket in her grip and reached out for his hand as another wave of pain hit her. "Ah!"

"Kagome!" Inuyasha's nose was going haywire trying to sniff out what was wrong with his mate but now his pup was distressed as well and he had to do something. "Kagome, we need to get you to Kaede, something is going on with the pup," Inuyasha was about to lift Kagome from the bedding and race over to the priestess' hut but Kagome's hand on his arm stopped him.

"N-No… can't… c-can't mov-e… ah!"

'_She doesn't want to me to move her because she's in too much pain… what do I do?'_ "K-Kagome, if I can't bring you to her then I have to bring her here mate… you need her," Inuyasha took the edge of the blanket and gently wiped the sweat from her brow to give her some comfort, "I'll be right back okay… two minutes I promise."

Kagome released his arm and gave a small nod as permission to go; she felt him kiss her forehead before a burst of self-made wind caressed her face… when she opened her eyes again he was gone. Alone and in pain she tried to keep her fears at bay, if she allowed her fears to go astray then she would succumb to her panic and it could hurt her child.

Trying to calm her breathing and push the pain down Kagome was able to push herself up and prop up the pillows to a more comfortable position for her. _'Okay now that I have settled maybe I can get a handle on what's going on with my body,'_ she ran a gentle hand over her stomach trying to feel the baby within; she heard Inuyasha say the little one was in danger and she wanted to check up on it.

"Okay baby… what's going on in there? I'm guessing you're ready to be born huh… you could have given me a little more warning sweetheart," Kagome's joking comment was answered with another sharp pain in her abdomen that lasted for several seconds. "O-Okay… I guess you did for most of the day and mommy didn't listen, I'm sorry."

Less than a minute later Inuyasha came bursting back through the bedroom with Kaede in his arms; she barely looked awake which meant to Kagome that the old woman had no clue why she was dragged out of bed in the middle of the night.

"K-Kaede-sama… I'm sorry that-ah! … I'm sorry you w-were woken up at… this hour," Kagome fought against the pain to greet the priestess.

Kaede was half scared to death when Inuyasha suddenly showed up in the middle of the night; he didn't explain his reason for being there just that she needed to come with him that minute. He barely allowed her to change or tell Rin where she was going before they were out of the hut and racing through the village; by the time her mind registered that they were going to his home they were already inside and Kagome was apologizing to her.

"Inuyasha, put this old woman down so I may examine Kagome," Kaede could see something was wrong by the pain on the young woman's face and immediately she snapped into action. "What has happened?" She placed her hands on Kagome's belly since that seemed to be where the pain was coming from.

Since Kagome seemed to be in the middle of another wave of pain and could not speak Inuyasha filled in what he knew, "She woke up screaming and in pain and I can smell the pup's distress so I wanted to bring her to you but she was in too much pain; she seemed to be uncomfortable around supper but-."

"And ye didn't think to call for me than Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha's ears drooped at the priestess' reprimand, he felt horrible that he ignored his instinct earlier and now if anything happened to his mate and pup it would be his entire fault.

"N-No Kaede-sama… it's my fault… I-Inuyasha was… was worried b-but I-."

"Hush child I am not blaming anyone, ye need to save your strength for this long night to come. Inuyasha, I need ye to retrieve Sango from her hut, but do not go barging in and wake everyone; and then I will need several lamps for proper lighting," Kaede could see the perspiration on Kagome's face and neck and went to wipe it off with her sleeve.

"Yeah I can get that stuff but why? What's wrong with Kagome?"

"She is fine; however Kagome will be giving birth to your child on this night… now will you please go and retrieve what I asked?"

'_K-Kagome… Kagome's having the… Kagome's having the pup!'_ That was the only thought that ran through the demon's mind as he raced over to Miroku's hut to retrieve his wife; he did remember not to crash into the hut and rudely awaken the occupancies but after seeing his friend's confused and half-awake expression when he knocked, he couldn't remember what he said to get Sango to go to his hut.

He must have said something of the sort that Kagome was having the pup because the next thing he knew Sango was up and awake and piling cloths and a lantern into his arms; Miroku was in charge of his daughters while the slayer and demon ran back to Inuyasha's hut. Once inside Sango snatched up the items Inuyasha carried and ran into the bedroom leaving him in the main room alone; wanting to keep himself busy, and take his mind off of what was going on in the other room, Inuyasha gathered some fresh woof from the pile outside and started up another fire to heat the hut. Everyone once and a while over the crackling fire Inuyasha would flinch from sounds of his mate's whimpers or pain and he cursed his sharp hearing as guilt would fill his body knowing he was the cause of all her pain.

"I figured you could use some company rather than sit alone and sulk," Miroku's calm voice filled the room as he entered the hut.

"Miroku, what are you doing here? Where are the girls?" Inuyasha was happy to see his friend and that he was willing to sit with him but the absence of the infants gave him cause to question.

"Rin-chan was awake, apparently when you stopped by earlier, and I asked if she would mind watching the girls so I could be here to help you," Miroku sat by the fire, a gentle smile came to his face despite the loud cry from the bedroom.

"Thanks but I'm not the one having the pup," Inuyasha's ears drooped at the cry Kagome gave; he was fighting his instincts to rush in and protect her from the pain, he knew a birthing room was no place for a man no matter how much he wanted to.

"Yes I am aware you are not the one giving birth but you are still pained and felling guilty about what Kagome is going through… trust me I felt the same way when Sango was in this situation, Kohaku was here to talk me through it and so now I will be here with you for how long it takes," Miroku put his hand on Inuyasha's shoulder in support.

"Thanks monk."

* * *

Dawn… it was dawn, the sun was cresting over the mountains to the east of the village, and still the men were sitting in the main room of Inuyasha's hut waiting for the birth of his child. Well actually Miroku was sitting calmly praying to the Buddha that Kagome and the baby will be alright; Inuyasha however was pacing around the room like a caged animal. His patience was extremely thin after so many hours of waiting but he couldn't hurry the process along or he risked the wrath of his mate and probably one thousand sits… he was amazed not one had slipped past her lips yet; several other choice words could be heard and she did curse her mate a few times but not once has he face planted yet.

'_Though I wouldn't blame her if she did start screaming it now rather than moaning in pain,'_ Inuyasha felt sick to his stomach when Kagome's whimpers and short cries turned into long moans of pain; at one point it got so bad that the demon had to leave the hut or risk running in there to her side. He went outside and climbed into the nearest tree to get some fresh air and calm down; once he was under control he returned inside and hadn't left since… though now he was getting that uneasiness in his stomach again. "Damn! What is taking so long in there!"

"Inuyasha, calm yourself you cannot expect a babe to be born in a timely fashion… the kami will children to be birthed when they wish it not us. Everything will be alright trust me."

A growl left the dog's mouth as the frustration mounted, "She's been in pain longer than last night monk, she was in labor sometime yesterday and I didn't pick up on it… the pup should be here by now, what if something is wrong?" The thought that his mate and pup were in danger terrified him.

"Nothing is wrong my friend, you must have faith, waiting this long is normal; I have heard rumors of women in labor for two or three days."

The thought of Kagome in pain that long caused Inuyasha to collapse to the floor, "She can't… she can't be in labor that long; her body wouldn't be able to withstand it… I can't lose her."

Miroku put a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder again, "Have faith… just have faith."

Inside the bedroom it was a bustle of movement, upon her arrival Sango had been back and forth preparing for the baby that was to be born. Already she the cloths nearby and had run out to the stream to fill a basin with water to clean the newborn once it was born; but they had been ready for nearly five hours and still nothing. Sango wasn't going to say it, as to not upset Kagome, but she was worried about the long wait.

She knew births could take several hours and when she had her girls it was rather quick, she was more concerned with the stress this was putting on the baby; Kagome had such a hard time conceiving and now with the delivery troubles it could hurt the child and mother.

Sango was kneeling by Kagome's side allowing the younger woman to hold her hand and clench it every time a contraction hit her while she took a cool rag and whipped her forehead every few minutes; Kaede was between Kagome's legs measuring the size of the girl's birth canal every couple of minutes just to be ready for when the time comes.

"How is she doing Kaede-sama?"

"For this being her first child she be fine Sango; her body is preparing for the birth… it won't be long now."

Kagome didn't hear a word either woman was saying because she was too focused on her breathing and trying to keep the pain that was shooting through her body down to a minimum. She too was worried about her baby but for different reasons, she was worried that the baby was not the son she had met two years ago and she also feared that the child was already under contract with the kami; a whole new set of tears came to her eyes and it wasn't because of the pain this time. _'Please… please let this pup be Inu, let us have the little boy we met… please.'_

About an hour after sunrise Kaede noticed that Kagome's contractions suddenly got closer together than the hours before; she went to check once again the birth canal and it was significantly wider than the last time. "I believe it is time girls; Sango help Kagome sit up," the old woman brought the small basin closer to her along with the cloths to clean the babe once it came into the world; along with those items Inuyasha's fire rat haori was neatly folded nearby as well. Inuyasha had requested that the pup be wrapped in his haori like he was as a newborn; it was a gift from his father and he wanted his pups to feel close to their grandfather like he did with it.

Sango helped Kagome sit back up while once again propping up the pillows behind her; it would be easier to give birth standing up and let gravity help her but Kagome didn't have the strength to stand as her legs felt like jelly from the pain she has been in for hours… so sitting up was as good as it was going to get.

"Alright child it is time to push so when ye feel the next contraction bare down and push."

"H-Hai… Kaede-sama." Kagome did as she was told and so when the next wave of pain shot through her lower body she bit down and pushed with everything she had.

"Yes that's it child… okay rest," Kaede coached and monitored both Kagome and the child's aura; now that she was in the process of actually birthing the baby Kaede could sense the little one's aura expanded and flared up brushing against hers. All three women were so focused on the birth that they didn't notice what was going on around them; a small trunk that Kagome put clothes in slowly started to glow black and float about half an inch from the floor.

And in the other room where the men were several pieces of wood, the basin Kagome washed plates in, and several pots all glowed black as well; when a chunk of wood nearly hit Inuyasha in the head is when he noticed the objects movement. "W-What the hell? What's going on?"

Miroku could sense the fluctuation of power in the other room and knew something was happening; Sango had told him about what happened when the mantis demon attacked the village. Hewas shocked that Kagome had this dark magic within her and it could be tied to the child she carried; he never told Inuyasha what he knew as to not worry him but now seeing it all firsthand the secret couldn't be hidden. "It must be the baby… I'm guessing Kagome is about to give birth right now."

"What?" Inuyasha turned to his friend looking for answers.

"This isn't really the time to be bring this up but when the demon attacked the village Kagome didn't destroy it with her spiritual powers; somehow she tapped into the baby's power and used that," Miroku tried to remain as serious as possible despite a wood rice bowl floating right passed his face.

Inuyasha looked around the room at everything that was glowing, "This is all from the pup? But it can't possibly be because this power is…"

"This power is from what Inuyasha?"

"I've failed… I said I would protect him, I gave her my word and I failed."

"Inuyasha?"

"This power belongs to Amatsu-Mikaboshi … the kami; when Inu was offered the So'unga it bound him to a contract to do the kami's bidding… this power was a gift."

"A gift… so when you said you failed?"

"When our future selves were here the night after Naraku was defeated Kagome had asked if I would protect Inu from this fate… but seeing this now I know I couldn't stop it," Inuyasha sat down by the pit and just stared into the fire all hope lost in his eyes.

"Push Kagome! Push child!" Kaede demanded over the girl's screams. Kagome thought the hours of labor were bad but the last twenty minutes of pushing were the worst; her body felt like it was splitting in two as she pushed the watermelon sized baby out.

"You're almost there Kagome… push!" Sango too was coaching her young friend to complete the birth; now that it was actually happening she was excited to meet the baby.

"I can see the head… breath and then once more big push," Kaede grabbed a cloth to gather the child when it came out. Both women, that were not giving birth, noticed that Kagome's body was now glowing and everything else that was now settled back to the floor; when her entire body was surrounded in the dark glow Kagome's screams of pain stopped.

'_W-What… where did the pain go? It feels like my body's numb.'_

"Push child!"

Kagome would have to think about the fact that she wasn't in pain anymore later; she took one more deep breath and pushed one last time. Just before the baby fell into Kaede's arms the entire room dimmed to black for a second before the baby's cries filled the air; the black magic that filled the room retracted back to the infant's tiny fist. Kaede cut the umbilical cord and took the child over to the basin to clean off the blood; the baby clenched its tiny fists in rage at being taken from its mother right away.

Kagome, the minute she heard the infant's wails, started to cry herself; tears of joy were streaming down her face and at that moment she didn't care who the baby was because it no longer matter to her… she could love this child if it was Inu or not.

While Kaede was tending to the child Sango helped clean Kagome up and deal with the afterbirth; the slayer quickly set up a make shift bed out of the larger unused cloths since the futon had gotten slightly bloody and needed to be washed and cleaned of the fluids.

Kagome laid down on the cloth gently, it seemed that the baby was the one to take away her pain when she was birthing it; however, when the baby left her body it took its power with it leaving her with mild aches and a great deal of pain. But she could live with it just as long as the baby was okay, "Kaede-sama… is it okay?" Having not slept in over a day and the exhaustion of labor finally taking its toll on her, Kagome was on the verge of falling asleep now but she wanted to see her child first.

Kaede turned around to the new mother, the babe wrapped in the fire rat haori, and a gentle smile on her, "He's just fine child, he will probably wish to be fed soon so ye should rest."

"It's… it's a boy," Kagome reached out for the child wanting to see the child more urgently now. Kaede knew the girl would not rest until she held her child so she carefully handed the infant to his mother.

"Kagome, why are you so surprised that you had a boy… did you forget Inu was the oldest? I'm going to take the futon to the stream to clean it and then check on the girls… congratulations," Sango folded up the futon and exited the room, along with going to see her daughters she planned on cooking a big meal for supper to both celebrate the baby's birth and because Kagome would be on bed rest for the next few days to recover.

Kagome didn't hear a word her friend said as she was too busy looking over her newborn. _'He's perfect.'_ The little boy was wrapped loosely in his father's haori as he seemed to like to wiggle a lot; just under the sleeve covering his head Kagome could see tuffs of black hair atop it. And just under the dark fuzz lay two perfectly pointed elf-like-ears like his uncle's; she gently rubbed the baby's chubby cheek and smiled when he let out a great yawn for her efforts. "Are you going to go to sleep now, your daddy will be in shortly to meet you," she gently leaned down to kiss the infant's forehead; when she got close to his face he turned slightly as his little button nose began twitching as he captured his mother's scent. "I think he's smelling me Kaede-sama!"

"Aye child… he already recognizes who ye are; I shall call Inuyasha in now… after you feed him ye should rest and gain your strength back… I can already tell he will be quite and handful." Kaede finished cleaning up the dirty cloths and stood to leave the room and retrieve the waiting father in the main room.

* * *

Out in the sitting area Miroku was going to comfort his depressed friend over the news he had just told him but paused when he saw all the objects that were floating now settled back to the floor which meant something had happened in the other room. He turned back to Inuyasha to get him off the floor when he saw the demon's dog ears twitching signaling that he was listening to something; a second later his human's ears picked up the baby's cries. "Inuyasha… Inuyasha do you hear… congratulations my friend, welcome to the world of fatherhood," he placed his hands on Inuyasha's shoulders and shook the other man slightly with his excitement.

The demon didn't acknowledge his friend's statement as he was too busy listening to his pup's cries; he was making sure both it and his mate were alright even though he couldn't see them. _'The crying means the pup's lungs are working and judging by the volume it's healthy; the pup will be hungry soon so I hope Kagome is up for a feeding.'_ Inuyasha felt guilty that she would not be able to sleep right away but the moment the boy was finished he would see to him while Kagome slept to her heart's content.

'_I'm… I'm a father,'_ pride swelled Inuyasha's chest just thinking about his family. _'I… I have a family… I wonder if this is what my father felt like when I was born,'_ for the last few months since they found out Kagome was pregnant Inuyasha had been thinking about his own father and what he felt like when his mate was pregnant; did he have plans to take care of them before his death… or could he have prevented his demise but just took the easy way out so he wouldn't have to bear with his son despising him because he was born a half demon.

Thinking back on it now Inuyasha did at one time hate his old man for what he was born as; every time he was chased away from a village, and when a big hungry demon came after him when he was little and alone. For a long time he wanted to curse his father for the lonely life he had; but now sitting in his own hut waiting to see his mate and pup he was grateful that his old man decided to give up his life for him… now he only hoped that his pup would not resent him for its mixed blood.

While Inuyasha contemplated all of this Sango had already come out with the futon and headed out to the stream; she washed it, happy that she could get all the blood out, and hung it outside of the hut in the sun. She then came back inside and dragged her husband home to check on their children and allow Rin to go to bed; all of this transpired around Inuyasha while he was in thought. He didn't even question where Miroku disappeared to when Kaede came out of the bedroom and gained his attention, "Baba, how are they?"

"Both Kagome and the child are fine, of course she must rest for the next several days and absolutely no intimate activity for at least two moons… I will return before dusk with Sango to see how things are going, you may go in now," Kaede smiled to the excited dog demon who jumped up from the floor and raced over to the door.

Once he reached the priestess' side however he slowed down as to not startle those in the room. Without even acknowledging her Inuyasha knew Kaede slipped out of the hut but he was too preoccupied to give her more attention than that; his eyes were solely trained on the two other people in the room.

Inuyasha remained at the entryway to the room as his instincts told him to be cautious around the recently birthed pup; as the female and primary care giver to the infant Kagome had the right to deny her mate access to seeing their pup in fear of protecting it. He stood up straighter when her eyes left the baby and locked on to him, this was the moment he would know if he was going to be allowed to see his pup today or not; a small smile came to her face and he relaxed a little bit.

"What are you doing all the way over there… don't you want to see him?" Her voice was low from being tired and not wanting to upset the baby in her arms but welcoming to her love and gave Inuyasha the courage to approach.

"It's a boy… so everything is okay… it's Inu?" Inuyasha spoke softly when he approached and already his nose was filtering all the scents of the room trying to find Kagome's, to make sure she was alright, and the pup's to imprint it into his memory; the only problem with that is the boy's scent was much like Kagome's and would remain that way for a few months as a form of protection for him.

"Well… we can only assume that he's Inu," Kagome moved the haori away from the baby's face so Inuyasha could get a better look at him, "But he does look like him."

Inuyasha looked at the tiny newborn in his mate's arms and he couldn't keep the smile from his face, "Yeah he does… he's perfect Kagome… you did such a great job and there is no way I can ever thank you for this gift." He bit back the emotion that was thick in his voice as he leaned down to nuzzle Kagome's cheek affectionately. Kagome relaxed into her mate's touch while holding her son close, after that rather exciting night she wanted to just lay back and relax with her boys… but other forces seemed to have plans for the family.

* * *

Just as Kagome began to fall asleep a deep growl erupted from her mate causing her to jolt awake again; the only time she has ever heard that vicious growl leave his lips was when he transformed into the raging full demon he used to be when in life threatening danger.

"Inuyasha, what's wrong?" Instinctively Kagome pulled the baby closer to protect him from the possible danger. The dog demon didn't answer his woman but the growl deepened as he took a defensive stance in front of her nearly blocking her vision of the other side of the room. _'He can sense something… but what?'_

Kagome tried to look around him but stretching so far caused pain to her sore body and the baby would wiggle in discomfort at his mother's movements. "Inuyasha, what is it please?"

"Who are you!?" Again the demon ignored his mate's question in favor of confronting their uninvited guest; however, he did shift slightly to the right allowing Kagome to see what they were up against.

'_Smoke? He's growling at smoke?'_ Yes it was strange to see the black miasma like smoke just appearing out of thin air, it reminded Kagome a lot of how Naraku used to attack them. She was going to ask Inuyasha what he sensed about the smoke but his growl turned into a roar when the strange smog to take the form of a ghostly specter taller than Inuyasha himself.

"Inuyasha, what is it? I can't sense any aura from it… is it a demon?" Kagome was fearful that there may be another demon out there like Kanna that could sneak around without being noticed.

"It's not a demon Kagome, but just hush now," Inuyasha could smell that she was worried and that made him anxious, one wrong move around an unknown enemy could be a fatal mistake. "I'm giving you one last chance to explain who you are and what you're doing in my hut; and if you don't answer then I'll make you," he cracked his knuckles as he bared his claws at the shadowy figure.

The transparent human shaped being still refused to answer; then suddenly its eye sockets began to glow red and it was like the puppet was turned on, it raised one of its arms almost like reaching for something. _**"Why do you ask such irrelevant questions demon… you know who I am,"**_ the specter finally spoke in a deep echoing voice that put fear in the body and chilled the heart; its cocky egotist confidence when it spoke threw Inuyasha off… when he was referred to by his race it felt like an invisible hand tugging on his soul.

But he shook the feeling off and it quickly went away, "Keh, I don't know you; I don't even know what you are! You don't look like a demon nor do you smell like a human."

"_**I am neither demon nor human… I am a superior being; I am above all those that walk among this plane… I am your creator, demon."**_ The creature's hand began to glow black and then in the blink of an eye both new parents froze seeing the very same hell blade they battled three years ago.

'_The So'unga!'_

Seeing the sword floating in midair Kagome panicked and pulled the baby closer to her body causing the boy to whimper because he could smell his mother's fear.

'_If he has that sword then he's… __Amatsu-Mikaboshi__,'_ Inuyasha's defense went back up realizing who he was now fighting… there was no way he was letting his pup touch that damn weapon. "What the hell do you think you're doing; you can't just barge into my hut and try and force my son into this contract… I won't allow it!"

The dark figure now known to the couple as the kami of evil turned to Inuyasha leaving the sword he had conjured up still floating in midair, _**"You think you have the power to demand of me demon? I am the one who allowed this child to be, he was created merely to do my bidding upon this plane; he will be the bearer of the key to hell and force the unwilling souls into my domain… as is the fate I have decided for him."**_

All fear the dog had for this powerful being completely vanished the minute he heard what the god had planned for his boy, "You will not come near my pup; his fate is not up to you to decide!" Inuyasha lunged for the spirit like creature but before he even made it a few steps from Kagome a siring pain shot through his body causing him to stop. _'Wh-What? My body… I can't move.'_

Inuyasha tried to force his body to do his bidding but it felt as if an enormous amount of weight was placed upon his shoulders; so much that even with his superior strength he couldn't move an inch.

"Inuyasha, are you okay?" Kagome saw her mate just stop suddenly and it worried her.

"What have you done to me, why can't I move!" Inuyasha was outraged when the god allowed a chuckle to erupt from his none excitant lips

"_**You clearly are not one of the wiser demons I created if you do not know how I control you."**_

"Control?"

"_**I am your creator; I have allowed your birth as you are an extension of my body as are all other demon on this plane. You are here to do my bidding and therefore are incapable of striking against me,"**_ to merely prove his point the kami raised his hand once again and the weight increased upon Inuyasha bringing him to his knees.

"Inuyasha!" Seeing him collapse caused Kagome to try and go to his side but the minute she move great pain came from her lower reign to which she flinched, "Inuyasha, are you alright?"

"I'm fine… I'm alright," Inuyasha tried to fight the force keeping him down but he was doing more harm than good for himself because his attempts were only angering the kami for his defiance.

"_**How stubborn can you be demon? There is no point in trying to fight… you are my puppet, merely a pawn in my plans."**_

'_A puppet… no Naraku used people like puppets… I am no one's puppet.' _"Rrrraaaahhhh!" Inuyasha released a mighty roar and with everything he had he forced himself unsteadily to his feet to face the kami head on.

But despite his great feat Amatsu-Mikaboshi was not impressed, _**"How many times must I tell you demon there is no point trying to fight me; I decide one's fate that I have created… however if you wish to die now so be it. I will return you to hell but the child will do my bidding,"**_ the god's hand glowed red again but this time instead of a sword appearing Inuyasha's body began to glow the same color and he was slammed into the wood flood much like a sit command would do to him.

"Inuyasha!"

"_**Do you understand now demon… you cannot stop me,"**_ with the distraction now put down Amatsu-Mikaboshi focused his attention to the baby and the contract he wanted to make; raising his free hand he slowly sent the So'unga toward Kagome and the infant.

'_No! I can't move at all, my body is completely paralyzed; I need to get up I need to protect them… I can't let him hurt my family!'_ "Kagome! Kagome don't let the pup touch the sword!" Inuyasha hollered in a blind rage as he fought against the power that pinned him to the floor; but it was no use, even with the god distracted the power keeping him in place did not weaken.

Seeing the sword approaching her and her son, and realizing her mate could not protect them, Kagome did as he instructed and shielded her child with her body to keep him from touching the weapon. As an added precaution Kagome tried to erect a protective barrier around herself knowing with So'unga's demonic aura it couldn't get close to her; however, with recently giving birth and her exhaustion her powers were extremely weak.

If the god had lips he would have smiled at her attempt to stop him, _**"A child of**_ _**Amaterasu is always troublesome to me but you dare couple with a demon from my domain? And now that I have given you this gift you dare attempt to stop me from giving a child of my domain his fate; his purpose was clear long before this moment… and you will not impede me either."**_ A mere waive of his hand was all it took to bring Kagome's barrier down, _**"Do not come between me and the boy or you will die as well priestess."**_

"Kagome!"

The young woman braced herself for the blow that was to come from the So'unga; but it was not to be as after a few minutes and nothing happened she opened her eyes to see the weapon only a few inches away but it was no longer glowing red but black like the baby's power. Kagome looked down to her child and was surprised to see that his tiny little fist was indeed glowing as well meaning he was in control of the sword's directory. _'The baby has control… does that mean he accepted the kami's contract?'_ Kagome's heart sank at the infant's fate if he had.

But suddenly So'unga flipped around and shot back in the direction of the god himself; if he had been of human flesh the sword would have pierced him clean through his stomach. But since he was nothing more than a shadow it simply went through, slightly disturbing the smoke that made up the body, and embedded itself into the hut's wall.

"Kagome, Kagome, are you and the pup okay?" Since he couldn't move Inuyasha was panicking when all the noise was going on around him and he couldn't see. "Answer me damn-it!"

The kami ignored the ranting of the dog as he was surprised by his latest creation's actions; the shadow turned to inspect the sword but it was still in cased within the child's power. _**"You deny my contract? You claim to be above the fate I have decided for you in this life?"**_ The kami tried to free the So'unga from its imprisonment but he could not over power the infant's control on the weapon. _'How is this possible? A child that I have created has more power than even I? It's impossible… I would never be so careless… unless it was not I,'_ Amatsu-Mikaboshi looked toward the child again studying him closely; to test a theory he raised his hand toward the human woman as to reach for her.

Kagome saw him move and tried to erect another barrier again but she had no energy to spare for her powers to work; and sensing his mother's distress the baby reacted in her defense again only this time more violently. He cried out in anger as both his fists glowed a deep black and then the god's smoky body exploded from the inside out; a few moments later it reappeared as if nothing happened.

"_**Now I see… you are stubborn even at birth, it will take time to make you accept your fate,"**_when the baby attacked him directly he couldn't focus the energy he had over So'unga so he released his possession over the blade; Amatsu-Mikaboshi repossessed the sword and made it disappear once again to hell. _**"I will return and you will accept your fate child… I have many ways to make you,"**_ with his threat given the kami dissolved into thin air much like as he came into the hut.

With him gone it released the spell over Inuyasha allowing him to stand again; he immediately went to his mate's side to check both her and the pup over for any injuries. "Are you okay? What did he do to you?"

"I'm fine… the baby, he stopped Amatsu from hurting me and he threw the So'unga back at him," Kagome was still trying to process everything that just happened involving the kami and her son.

"He threw it at him… but how?" Inuyasha looked to the infant who was now asleep; apparently using all that power tired his small body out and now he needed to recharge.

Kagome too looked to the child in her arms, "With that power… I don't even think the kami could over power it; to me it seemed he couldn't free So'unga from the wall," she gently cuddled the child against her breast relieved that the nightmare was over for now at least.

Inuyasha stood and walked over to examine the wall, _'The sword was embedded here and yet there is no mark… it's almost as if the whole thing was a dream.'_ He rubbed his chin, with how hard he was slammed into the floor he knew a bruise would form and last for at least a few hours. "Kagome, Miroku told me about the pup's power while we were out waiting… I thought he got that power as a gift for accepting the contract with Amatsu?"

"Well yes that's what we thought too and when he started using it through me while I was still carrying him we all thought that he had accepted the kami's proposal."

"But from what you said he was surprised when the pup attacked him… so doesn't that mean he didn't give the pup the power?" Inuyasha came back to sit by Kagome's side to observe the baby again.

"Well… you're right, if Amatsu-sama did give him the power as a gift for accepting the contract then he would have known about them, but if he didn't than who did?" Kagome shifted the baby to her other arm as her left one was starting to fall asleep; however, the baby wasn't happy with the jostling and being woke up and he protested loudly.

"I'm not sure, we should tell Kaede all that happened and maybe she'll know… he's hungry."

Kagome was surprised by his last statement because it was completely off topic, "What?"

Inuyasha's nose twitched and he let out a soft yip which the pup echoed with a whimper and Kagome felt him nuzzle at her covered chest. "He's hungry, he hasn't had a meal yet," with her arms full he helped move the blanket that she was wrapped in to reveal one of her breasts to the pup who eagerly latched on and began to nurse.

The two parents remained silent as the room was filled with only the gurgles and grunts of the newborn nursing contently. Peace filled Kagome's body as she was finally able to bask in the after effect of giving birth; here she was happily mated to the demon she loved and now she had a child she deeply desired. "Inuyasha, how are you feeling he slammed you really hard into the floor," she could see the bruise on his chin from where he bumped it and, though she knew it would disappear within a few hours, she was still worried.

The dog demon was very interested in the pup nursing, he had never been close to a female while they were feeding a pup and to watch Kagome supply his pup with the nourishment he needed was amazing; a blush came to his face when he realized he was staring and she was watching him. "Feh, it didn't hurt, I think your sits were worse," no he wasn't hurt however his ego was as bruised as his chin… though he would never admit it.

Kagome smiled but didn't say anything, knowing his ego was already hurt; instead she looked back to her nursing baby who had yet to be named. _'A name… he needs a name… now it makes sense.'_ "Now I understand why."

"Why what Kagome?"

"I now understand why we named him after you… it's only fitting to do so after all you've done for him in the last few hours; I mean you fought against a kami to keep us safe, you could have been take from us but you still defied him."

"Kagome, I would do anything for you and our pup; my life would not matter if the two of you are not in it," Inuyasha was extremely honored that she wanted to name their first pup, his first son, after him.

So after the baby was fed Kagome gave him to her mate so she could get some rest; Inuyasha gently, though excitedly, took his son into his arms for the first time so she could sleep. _'He's so little… was I that small when I was a born?' _

He looked over the pup very carefully from head to toe and not one thing was wrong with him; a small smile came to his face when the boy's little nose started twitching again taking in his scent, "Yeah you know who I am pup… I'm your old man and alpha of our pack. You have nothing to worry about because you will not have the same life I had, you won't be alone like I was… I'll make sure of that. Already you have a chip on your shoulder since some crazy god is after you but I vow I will never let him have you… I will protect you my son." Inuyasha pulled the boy close to his chest and the baby relaxed into his embrace and drifted off to sleep not a care in his little mind.

It was good that at least two of the residences of the hut could sleep peacefully; Inuyasha was worried not only about the kami but now he would soon have to go on the hunt again for Yukio and Masanori… he would not allow those humans to hurt his family. _'I will put an end to them before they return here, I won't let them come near Kagome again or you either Inu.'_ Inuyasha sat with his back against the wall close to Kagome allowing her scent to wash over him; after one long chaotic night quiet finally came over the hut as its occupancies were able to settle down. Inuyasha relaxed into his position knowing his family would be safe under his watch… this moment was only the beginning of their next adventure.

* * *

**Note: I said I was going to have this chapter out this weekend but I had other matters that needed to be attended to first so it was delayed... I apologize but I hope the length of the chapter and what went on will make up for it. Everyone should be happy that Kagome was not a dark miko and that it was just the baby using his power through her. And finally after 29 chapters he's returned... Inu has returned to the group! And it appears that he can't even be here for a full day before something big had to happen; and it also appears that his power was not given to him by the kami that gave him So'unga... could he be stronger than the god himself?**

**I've switched the kami villian once again... I'm probably confusing everyone now. Instead of them being Izanami-no-Mikoto(who is the kami of the dead) I've changed it to Amatsu-Mikaboshi(who is the kami of evil in the Shinto religion). I figured it would fit better since demons are suppose to be evil incarnated and so who else could play the dark supernatural villian than the god of evil... he's like the Naraku of this story and will pop up from time to time trying to get Inu to accept the fate he planned for him which is guiding those unwilling souls to hell so he can collect them.**

**The chapters are going to be jumping a bit now, I said in the beginning that the first two/three years of their lives would play out slowly and then pick up after that... I'm not going to go into every detail of everyone's lives... it will slow down from time to time but I'm going to be skipping years every once and while so just to give you a heads up.**

**Thanks to:  
**Celestia Uchiha  
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**For reviewing... luv'em, keep it up!**


	31. Inu's surprising gift

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

With the exhaustion of labor heavily upon her Kagome slept the rest of the day Inu was born; only waking to feed the baby when he was hungry. With her resting Inuyasha didn't want anyone disturbing her or the pup so when Sango and Kaede came over later he accepted the food but asked that they return the next day to speak with her.

"You shooed Kaede-sama away!" Kagome was shocked the next morning when her mate told her he denied the priestess access to seeing her.

"Keh, you needed rest after being up all night and they would have woke him up… she's coming back this morning for a checkup," Inuyasha, who had just retrieved Inu from his sleeping basket, brought the pup to his mother for his breakfast; once the baby was in her arms he sat on the floor by her side.

The minute Inu woke he was fussy wanting to be held and fed, excitement filled his tiny body when the scent of his father/alpha came closer to where he lay; next thing he knew he was engulfed in his mother's sweet smelling scent. It already became routine between the two, whenever Inu was in Kagome's arms she would hold him to her chest so his tiny head would lie on her shoulder; it wasn't long before he would bury his nose into her neck and began to sniff. When he first did this the previous night she had questioned Inuyasha about it; a smirk came to his face as he explained that it was instinct for the pup to acknowledge her by scent.

Not wanting to disturb his basic instincts she allowed him to continue and now she was use to his behavior as if it was second nature to her… once he got his fill of her scent he would release a soft whine which signaled to his mother that it was time to eat; bringing him down to her chest Kagome moved aside her sleeping kimono and guided her son to his meal… once he was settled she focused back to her mate. "You shouldn't have done that even if I was tired, it's getting hard for Kaede-sama to walk great distances now a days with her age."

"If she is tired then I will go and retrieve her but I'm not going to disturb your schedule with the pup now because he comes first."

Kagome didn't argue knowing he was right; she looked down to the nursing infant and couldn't help but smile at him. While in the morning light Kagome was able to gaze upon her child in more detail then she was able to the day before without exhaustion hovering over her. He was barely day old and already the pinkish hue to his skin from birth had faded away; and even though he couldn't control his body movements that well his amber eyes were sharp and every movement in the room he was aware of.

The baby's hand brushed against the top of her breast as he suckled harder, like his father he had a large appetite due to his demon blood and luckily Kagome's body was aware of how special her child was and it produced the amount of milk he needed to survive. Inu's suckling became more intense and Kagome knew he had emptied that side; when he released the nipple to let out a distressed cry that he was still hungry she quickly flipped him around to her full breast which he latched onto vigorously and began to feed again. Kagome lightly patted the child's cloth covered bottom while he ate to help him digest better; she remembered her mother would do the same thing when Sota was a baby. Just thinking about her family brought tears to her eyes at thinking about the fact that her family would never meet any of her children; however, seeing her mate's concern at her tears she quickly pushed those thoughts aside, now was not the time to be sad over things that could not be changed.

Inu began to squirm again while he was eating, his little feet kicking in excitement, and his little hands were gripping her breast almost like he was afraid she would take his meal away… of course she would never do that anyway. "Inuyasha… Inu's pinkie is bleeding," Kagome had been watching the baby and the small trail of blood from his smallest finger on his right hand wasn't hard to miss; she became worried wanting to know what injured her son.

Inuyasha did a quick scan of the pup at his mate's call but he knew what happened and wasn't worried, "He's fine Kagome, though you will have to be careful from now on when he nurses because his claws are coming in."

"His claws?"

"Yeah… when pups are born they have a thin layer of skin over their soft claws that protect both their mother and themselves from causing damage while the female is carries the pup. A day or two later after a pup is born the claw becomes harder and breaks through the skin, eventually all his claws will be coming in and the skin will dry out and just fall off," Inuyasha gently lifted the pup's hand to show his mate the tiny point coming to the boy's pinkie.

"Oh… but is it hurting him?" Kagome had wondered, if he did have claws, why they had not hurt her while carrying or giving birth to him; it was a bit of a relief to know she wouldn't have to worry about that anymore.

"Nah he's fine… his teeth will be a lot worse trust me." The demon released his son's hand when the pup began to tug trying to loosen it from its entrapment; he didn't want the baby to start to cry and have Kagome angry with him. A minute later his ears alerted him that someone was approaching the hut, taking a whiff of the air he caught the scent of herbs and medicine on the wind, "Kaede's coming."

"She wants to check on us so don't shoo her away this time; go keep her company while I finish with him," Kagome had just laid Inu down on a large clean cloth and was preparing to change his diaper.

"Keh, remember woman you're on bed rest so don't strain yourself… when you're ready I'll let her back here," Inuyasha kissed her forehead then left room to go and greet their visitor.

* * *

The old woman was just about to knock on the hut door to announce her presence to the young couple that was inside; however, just as her wrinkled hand was about to make contact with the wood the door shot open as Inuyasha stood in the entryway.

"Babaa."

"Oh Inuyasha, sometimes this old woman forgets your demonic abilities… is Kagome awake for me to check on her?"

"Keh, yeah she's up; Kagome's taking care of the pup's needs so give her a few minutes… there are a few things we need to talk about too," Inuyasha stepped to the side and motioned with his head for her to come inside.

Intrigued by the dog demon's words Kaede quickly followed him into the main room of the hut; she waited patiently while he went into the bedroom to see if his mate was ready, when he stepped out of the room but held the door open in invitation to her she knew it was alright to go in. Quietly entering the room a gentle smile came to Kaede's wise face as she saw Kagome sitting up in her bedding, the infant sound asleep in her arms.

"Good morning Kaede-sama."

"Good morning child, I hope your little one didn't keep you up most of the night; are ye up for a checkup today?" Kaede carefully sat down by the young woman's side and observed the dozing child.

"Surprisingly no he slept well, only woke up twice to eat; and yes I'm ready… I'm terribly sorry Inuyasha didn't allow-."

"Thinking nothing of it Kagome, Inuyasha was right that you be allowed to rest." Both women looked to the man still standing at the door who had a deep blush to his cheeks.

"Feh, well… while Babaa's checking you Kagome I'm going to go see if the futon is completely dry," Inuyasha quickly slipped out of the room as to not be the women's main topic of discussion any longer. Once outside Inuyasha went over to where Sango had hung up the bedding, he was extremely pleased that it was dry and did not smell of blood or birthing fluid; he took it down from the hanging rope Kagome had made him put up to dry their clothes and brought it inside.

Upon reentry to the hut he carefully checked with his hearing to see if the women were finished with Kagome's examination. Hearing the two chatting away about the baby gave him the impression they were finished and so he poked his head in just to confirm.

Kagome smiled when her love slowly stuck his head in the room and looked around, "It's okay Inuyasha, Kaede-sama is finished and she's looking over Inu now."

That answered the next question he was about to ask since the pup was no longer in her arms; Inuyasha fully entered the room and laid the futon down in its original spot while his eyes were trained on the old woman who was examining his son.

"Everything seems fine with the boy and you are healing nicely Kagome; I would recommend ye stay in bed for at least a few more days though," Kaede handed the still sleeping infant back over to his mother, "Now Inuyasha, ye wanted to talk about something? From your tone it sounded important." Confirming that he did wish to speak about something Kaede waited for him to do so; Inuyasha first went to his mate's side and lifted her from the bedding she had slept in and put her on the clean futon.

When he was sure she was alright and the pup did not stir he turned back to the priestess. "It happened yesterday after everyone left… Amatsu-Mikaboshi appeared and tried to put the pup under his service with So'unga as a gift."

"Amatsu-Mikaboshi? Well it seems the babe has a very unique fate… I do not see how this should worry ye though."

"Actually Babaa we didn't allow the pup to accept the contract. When the pups were here last time Inu had already accepted it; Kagome's future-self told me it was the worst mistake she ever made allowing him to. He wasn't allowed to have a life outside of his servitude and she asked me to prevent him from accepting the kami's proposal in this life."

"Aye… and so I am to assume ye stopped it; then the kami must not have been pleased."

Kagome spoke up, "No he wasn't, and he was able to control Inuyasha's body to stop him from attacking too… how is that possible?"

"The kami are not from our world child, they are beyond our capability to understand that is why when a human meets a god they typically do not remember the encounter; Amatsu-Mikaboshi is the kami of evil and many from our world believe he is the god that allowed the demons of old into our world centuries ago." At the couple's confused looks Kaede decided she would have to tell them the stories her own sister told her as a child before her death.

"Long ago when the kami still resided in our world a great war ensued among them concerning how the human would be used; Amaterasu-sama and the gods that followed her wished for humans to have their own destiny decided by them as it would make the human happier and praise them. However those like Amatsu-Mikaboshi wished to enslave the human and preordain a destiny to each one; they feared that if the human was given so much free rein then the kami would no longer be needed… they wanted full control. Chaos followed the war and Amaterasu-sama saw the destruction they had caused to the lands; she banished Amatsu-Mikaboshi to the realm they named Yomi where he could rule and govern all he wished… the other kami who sided with Amaterasu-sama went to Takama-no-hara. In Yomi Amatsu-Mikaboshi, though defeated, still wanted the human to be his servant as he believed with the gift his fellow gods had given the human now thought itself a god. Amatsu-Mikaboshi then created the first demon from his evil thoughts, these beings were pure evil and resided within hell as servants to their creature; pleased with his creations the kami opened a void into our world and released these demons upon the human. The reason for this is because when the human died since they were pure beings they were allowed to enter Takama-no-hara and gain immortality and thus become a new kami; Amatsu-Mikaboshi believed there should be no new kami and that is why he allowed his demons to run free in the humans' world. With these demons unleashed they were to taint the human soul while in our world so it was unable to go to the heavens; with no other choice the soul would enter Yomi and fall into darkness. Amaterasu-sama realized what was happening and so she sent special beings to our world every few years to battle the demons and help cleanse the human soul; these special beings were gifted with a bit of her own power… they are known today by the name miko. Many centuries have passed since all that happened and today's miko and demon are the descendants of those ancient beings… so naturally they should be mortal enemies."

"So then Amatsu can control Inuyasha because he is essentially the kami's shadow?" Kagome tried to wrap the story around her head; in all her years living at her family's shrine, and when she paid attention, her grandfather never mentioned this story.

"Aye child… and there is not much we can do about it; as long as Inuyasha is a demon the god will have control over him. Though I am curious… the kami was not able to bring the child into service and yet Inuyasha did not stop him, I am curious as to who did."

"Keh, that was another thing we needed to talk to you about Babaa," Inuyasha was extremely displeased with the knowledge that he could not fight this god and protect his family; but there were still questions unanswered so he would keep his anger at bay for the moment. "The pup was the one to stop him."

"He used the same power that killed the mantis Kaede-sama; but what confuses us is that we thought he gained that power when the So'unga bonded with him. Yet he has never touched the sword and he was able to over throw the kami like it was nothing."

Kaede thought back to that moment often as she tried to make sense of the child attacking the mantis while still in the womb, "I believe I can answer that; this child is the first to ever be born from both worlds, a descendant of both Amaterasu-sama and Amatsu-Mikaboshi. Great power resides within him not from a cursed sword but from the blood he be given by you… a true half being."

"So because of us… my demonic blood and Kagome's spiritual power… our pup is like this? He will grow stronger as he ages and gods will be after him… not to mention other power hungry demons that live in our world," Inuyasha couldn't believe what his pup would have to go through the rest of his life all because of him… now he wouldn't blame the boy for hating him when he got older.

Kagome could feel the despair coming from her mate and she reached over to take his hand in comfort, "Everything will be okay Inuyasha, we will protect him and we will give him such a great life that he won't even know that the kami wants him; he will be a normal little boy that will know his parents love him for how special he is."

Inuyasha accepted his mate's comfort and agreed with what she said but he still had doubts; knowing he would be useless to fight Amatsu put a bad taste in his mouth. His whole life he had to fight for everything he had, being weak wasn't an opposition because if you were weak you died… and his greatest fear was dying and leaving his family unprotected.

With all their questions seemingly answered Kaede decided it was time she return to her hut; while she was readying herself to leave Kagome settled down for a short midmorning nap while the baby slept too. She was on his time now and anytime she could rest she would take it; Inuyasha took the baby from his mother and placed him back in his sleeping basket that was located next to the futon. After both were resting peacefully the dog demon followed the priestess out of the room.

"Ye be doing very well for a new father Inuyasha, you've come a long way from when Kagome released ye from the sacred tree."

"Keh yeah… I was really immature back then; I really don't know how she put with me," a crimson hue coated his cheeks when thinking about the way he acted the first few months of their journey; back then if anyone told him that this was where he would be in three years he probably would have called them a liar and stormed off to sulk in a tree.

"As I said in the beginning of your journey there was a reason the kami brought the two of you together… of course back then ye didn't wish listen to this 'crazy old woman' I believed you called me."

"Feh."

A small smile came to Kaede's face at his embarrassment, "I'll be going now… if anything should happen bring them to me Inuyasha," the elderly priestess was just about to leave the hut when the demon stopped her.

"Wait Babaa, there's one more thing I need to ask you about," Inuyasha kept his voice low as to not wake his sleeping mate in the other room.

Kaede turned with a questioning look, "Does this question have to deal with Kagome and that is why ye didn't want to ask it in front of her?"

"Yeah… something like that," Inuyasha moved over to the fire pit to start it up and prepare both breakfast for his mate when she woke, and tea for the priestess that just sat down and waited for him to speak. After the tea was given out and he made sure the rice wouldn't burn Inuyasha turned to face her, "It's hard to explain but every creature has the scent of death to them, it is how demons can tell if something is sick or dying. Every human has this scent no matter their age, pups like Sango's have it, though extremely faint, and it will increase as they age. For the longest time I've had to deal with the fact that all the friends I have will die centuries before I will even be half my true age… and that was before I became a full demon. Everyday this thought has haunted me since I knew in less than sixty years I would lose Kagome because she is human."

"I thought ye mated with her Inuyasha, shouldn't she have your life span?"

Inuyasha smiled at the woman's ignorance, despite her age and training to handle demons, she knew nothing about their rituals. "Mating doesn't have that type of power Babaa. It is a demon ritual and usually it only happens between two demons. And since demons are practically immortal themselves there is no reason one would need that type of power; me being a demon and Kagome human… I really wished a mating could work that way. Mating is just for show really, the marks tell other demons that those particular demons are claimed."

Kaede was surprised by his admission; here she thought her whole life that when a demon took a human as their mate the human would live as long as their demon lover… apparently she had been wrong. "So how does this pertain to Kagome then? Has her scent told you that she is sick because if it has ye must tell me Inuyasha so that I-."

"You don't think I wouldn't? She's my mate, I would never let her suffer an illness… if anything happened to her I wouldn't be able to live."

"I apologize for upsetting ye Inuyasha, I did not mean to do so, of course ye would not wish her to suffer… but please explain your fears concerning her," Kaede took a sip of tea while waiting.

"But that's just it! Her scent has changed and now I can't tell it she could get sick. When I first met her Kagome had the scent of death like every other human and it has slowly increased since then… but yesterday it just faded and now there's nothing."

"It vanished?"

"Yeah… so what do you think it means Babaa?" Inuyasha's ears were on alert waiting for her wisdom to answer his question.

Kaede sat staring at the remaining liquid in her cup while pondering over what the demon had told her; she then thought about the events from the previous day and if something was out of the ordinary that could have triggered this. "If what ye say has happened Inuyasha it could possibly mean that Kagome may not have to fear a human's death; if the scent of death has left her than she may have the gift of immortality."

"Immortality… but Kagome is a human. No matter how much I wish it, and believe me there is nothing more I would like to change, she will… pass on like all other humans," Inuyasha's whole body drooped thinking about it.

"Nay Inuyasha, I don't believe that is correct. Yes Kagome is human but she was given a gift to prolong her life."

"But how Babaa… it couldn't have just happened!" Inuyasha flinched when his voice got a little too loud and suddenly he could hear the pup's soft whimpers from the other room. It was too soon for him to be hungry again and judging by the volume slowly increasing he was not about to fall back to sleep; not wanting him to wake his mother Inuyasha quickly darted into the bedroom to retrieve the boy. He came out a few minutes later with the pup in his arms, wide awake but at least quiet, and sat back down by the fire.

Kaede watched as he both left and returned her lips turned upward seeing the baby and how tentative his father was to him. Seeing the newborn again also triggered a memory that occurred the day before during his birth. "Could it possibly have been that?"

"What are you mumbling about Babaa?" Inuyasha looked up from his child to the old woman.

"While Kagome was birthing the child an odd occurrence happened; just before he came into the world Kagome's body was engulfed in his dark power."

"What like you mean when the stuff was floating around?"

"Yes however Kagome did not leave the ground; after the birth the power faded but for a short time after I could still sense it within her… I believe it was the child that changed Kagome's fate." Both adults looked to the child in the demon's arms; the baby's wide golden eyes were staring at his father, when he realized they were both looking at him his little legs started to kick.

"The pup… he made Kagome immortal?"

"I believe he too sensed how delicate his mother was while birthing and he left her a small bit of his power to extend her life for who knows how long."

Inuyasha couldn't keep the smile from his face when he looked to the child; he gently rubbed the baby's chubby cheeks at which he gave his father a small toothless smile. "Is that what you did pup? Did you extend your mother's life so she could be with us?" Inuyasha leaned down to nuzzle against the baby's nose in affection; Inu's feet began to kick harder in response to his father's questions… beyond that innocent little face Inuyasha was starting to believe this boy was truly a living kami.

* * *

After his decision with Kaede, Inuyasha decided not to tell Kagome what he found out, it may have frightened her knowing she wouldn't be growing old like Sango and Miroku; no it would be better if she wasn't told… now if she questioned why she stayed youthful for far longer than she should then he would tell her, hoping by then she would be used to the idea.

The first week of Inu's life was rather eventful… not saying his first day was easy mind you, but he had a lot of visitors that wished to see him. Kagome was all but fully healed after another full day of rest so she was up and about and open for others to see her son… Inuyasha however didn't like the idea one bit.

"Kagome, what could possibly give you the idea that allowing people to see him would be a good idea?" Inuyasha was sitting in the main room of the hut with Inu in his arms while his mate was busy making breakfast.

"And why not? He's already three days old and if we were in the future all of our relatives would have met him. You heard it from Sango when she came over yesterday, the whole village knows I had the baby and they are curious… I don't see the harm."

"The harm? Kagome the pup has powers no human outside of our friends could understand; we don't know what triggers them or if he could hurt humans like he did that mantis demon while you were still carrying him."

Kagome turned to her lover with a look that was unsettling to his stomach, "Are you… are you ashamed of him Inuyasha? You don't want to show him to anyone… it's not his fault-."

"Whoa wait a minute Kagome, I'm not ashamed of our pup, I could never be; I'm just worried that if something were to happen, like him attacking one of the villagers by accident, that they would see him as dangerous… I don't want him to be an outcast like I was."

Kagome had completely forgotten what it was like for him growing up, she herself was picked on for her name when she was a child, and children in this era were a lot meaner than what she had to deal with… now she understood why he was fighting her so badly. "I understand your fears honey but Inu would never have to go through what you did because we're here to protect him. He won't ever be lonely because no matter what he would do the twins will always be his friends and of course there's always Shippo… I'm sure he will be there for him."

"Feh, that's what I'm afraid of too, what if the pup tries to attack anyone with demon blood? He killed the mantis and I'm pretty sure he attacked Sesshomaru the last time he was here… what if he does that to any demon whether friend or foe?"

Kagome smiled to encourage him and maybe erase some of his fears, "Well… we won't ever know unless we bring him outside… we can't hide him from the world forever."

Though he wished to shield the pup from everything that came after him when he was little, Inuyasha knew Kagome was right and that he couldn't keep their son in the hut forever. The next day the two proud parents headed into the village to go see their friends nearly four days after Kagome gave birth. Being his first time out of the safety of the hut Inu was easily overwhelmed by all the smells and sounds his half demon traits gave him; at first he was extremely uncomfortable and began to whimper which caused Inuyasha to panic.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea he's confused by all the new scents he can't identify and our scents are being over shadowed."

"Relax Inuyasha, he just needs a few minutes to adjust that's all; it's just like the first time you came to the future remember?"

At the memory of the first time he wondered around the city and was assaulted by all the horrible smells it produced… just the thought caused him to shiver. "I don't want to remember that, I don't think my nose has ever burned that badly," Inuyasha scrunched up his nose just thinking about it.

"Oh really… what about that ink the possessed painter had huh? If I remember correctly you passed out both times we went up against him."

"Feh."

While the two were reminiscing about their shard hunting days Inu had calmed down quite a lot having both gotten used to his new environment and because his mother changed his position so he was closer to her to calm him. To protect his delicate body from the late summer sun Kagome had the baby covered with a light weight blanket; it shielded him from the curious villagers as they entered the town. The longer they were outside the more attention they were getting from the towns people and the more uneasy Inuyasha was getting; Kagome didn't miss how her mate stepped closer to her in protection to keep the people away.

She also felt the baby bury his nose into her chest, it could have been because of all the smells again which Kagome couldn't blame him because most of the villagers didn't bathe half as often as she did; or it could also have been because he was getting hungry… either way Kagome decided it was time they had headed to Sango's.

Once inside their friends' home Inuyasha was able to relax a little easier now that his pup was not out in the open anymore; normally pups did not come out to meet the other members of the pack until they are much older and are able to defend themselves. But Kagome is human and therefor did not have the overprotective instinct a female dog demon would have concerning the pup; Inuyasha knew their pack would not harm his heir so he pushed down his protective instinct and allowed his mate to show off their pride and joy.

"Oh Kagome, he's gotten so big in just a short time," Sango was sitting right next to her friend admiring the infant, Aki was holding on tightly to her mother's haori while leaning over to look at the tiny being in her aunt's arms. At nearly nine months old both twins were very aware of their surroundings now, they could easily recognize their parents' voices and were strong enough to sit up without needing help… and about a month ago Takara had already started to crawl. The older girl was a like ball of energy and if one of her parents weren't holding her she was scurrying around the hut; Miroku was in charge of her today since Aki was being very clingy and only wanted to be held by her mother.

"Yes… he's been eating a lot since he was born," Kagome smiled down at the baby who was wide awake; his eyes were darting around the hut as his little nose twitched to take in all the new smells and people he wasn't used to. He was quite interested in the little human that kept waiving her hand in his face and spouting gibberish nonsense; he was confused by her status and quickly sought out his father for answers.

Inu released a soft yip that had Inuyasha's ears at attention in seconds as he turned from his conversation with Miroku to find the cause of the pup's call; realizing he was asking a question the older dog demon responded back with a low bark of his own to answer his child. Inu was unsure of his alpha's answer that this human was a pack sister because she didn't smell like one; but since she didn't seem to be a threat to his mother or him, and his father was relaxed unlike when they were outside, Inu trusted the older demon's judgment and continued to let the girl waive at him.

"Well I'm not surprised seeing as he is a half demon… don't you remember how much Inuyasha used to eat while we were traveling?" Both women started to giggle when thinking about all the ramen Kagome used to bring for him. Inuyasha wasn't too pleased with the jab at his stomach but he pushed it away when he saw his mate's smile to him.

While the two women were chatting away the men were having their own conversation; Miroku was desperately trying to keep his oldest child in his arms while he spoke but Takara wanted none of it. Once more the monk switched her from his right leg to his left but the little girl was squirming to be put down so she could crawl.

"So Inuyasha, how's… how's parenthood so far?" Miroku gave his friend a stiff smile as the child in his grasp let out a frustrated scream that her father would not release her.

"It's not bad actually, though a new born pup is a lot different than a full human baby; he knows when it is time to sleep and time to be up. He can also communicate with me when he needs something instead of constant crying that humans have to figure out what they need."

Just to prove his point Takara suddenly burst into tears and began to scream; Miroku released a deep sigh and finally put the child to the floor. Once released Takara immediately stopped screaming and her tears disappeared, she broke out into a smile and got to her hands and knees quickly scurrying away.

"He can communicate huh? I think that would be a lot easier then dealing with the screaming… Takara has been out of control these last few weeks ever since she began to crawl," Miroku rubbed his eyes in exhaustion. Said child came back over only instead of going to her father and risking being imprisoned again she came up to her doggy uncle wanting to get in his lap… she had an agenda once there.

Inuyasha was very uncomfortable with his friend's spawn trying to climb up into his lap; he already knew what she had planned in that little head of hers' and she wasn't getting anywhere near her ears. The past few visits to the monk's hut when Kagome was carrying the pup gave the twins time to become completely fascinated with their uncle's dog ears and now both girls are always trying to get at them; and of course Inuyasha is aware of what they want but no way is he giving into them. Since they are so little there is no way they could be gentle with his sensitive appendages; and he wasn't their father so he could say no and not care if they throw a fit.

When he felt the tug on his forelock as the child tried to climb up his shoulder Inuyasha swiped her up gently causing her to giggle in delight; but when she found herself trapped in his arms in his lap she began to fight him. When that didn't work she started to scream and cry again hoping he would obey her like her father had earlier… but Inuyasha was harder to crack.

"You can carry on all you want kid but I'm not letting you anywhere near my ears; now you can either stay here and quiet down or you can go play with your sister… your choice." Takara didn't need to be told twice, she was extremely unhappy that she did not get her way but she was not going to sit there when there was plenty to do around her home.

"Takara-chan, why don't you go over with Momma and Aki-chan and see your new cousin Inu-kun," at Miroku's suggestion the child looked over towards her mother and noticed a dark haired wiggling… thing in her aunt's arms. Both her mother and aunt were smiling and cooing at the object and their attention was not on her; well Takara would have none of that and quickly wiggled out of her doggy uncle's grasp and scrambled over to see what they were looking at so fondly.

With the child now gone the men continued where they left off in their conversation. "You should consider yourself lucky monk that all they will do is crawl and walk; when my pup is older he'll be climbing trees… Kagome is going to have her hands full when I'm away."

"Ah yes and speaking of away my friend."

"What monk?" Inuyasha glared at his friend's cheesy smile already knowing he wasn't going to like what he had to say.

"Well… it has been some time since we've gone on extermination; I've heard a rumor-."

"Ain't happening Miroku, the pup's not even a full moon old yet and you want me to leave Kagome unprotected."

"No no you misunderstand Inuyasha, look hear me out, the neighboring village has an infestation of rat demons due to the drought and they need some help getting rid of them; it'll take only a few hours tomorrow to complete the job and Kagome can stay here with Sango."

Inuyasha considered the offer for a second before looking back over to the girls; Sango was now holding both twins allowing them to gaze at Inu. Looking over his mate and child Inuyasha already knew the answer, "No Miroku, I'm sorry but I can't leave them right now… you'll have to go without me."

* * *

"What were Miroku and you being so secretive about earlier hm? You were huddling in the corner and whispering like a bunch of school girls crushing on a boy," Kagome had just finished feeding Inu his late meal and settled him down for the night; now she was laying on the futon with her mate trying to pick at his busy brain so to speak.

"It's nothing to worry about because I said no so that's that," Inuyasha made sure to keep his voice low as to not wake the sleeping pup that was in the basket a few feet from the bed.

Of course 'nothing to worry about' always worried Kagome and normally when Inuyasha wanted to drop a subject it was dropped and he would no longer speak of it. But being his mate Kagome had ways to persuade him into giving her the information she was seeking. She crawled on to the futon and cuddled up close to his side, innocently drew her fingers up his bare arm, and being a hot night the demon rarely wore a sleeping kimono which was only to her advantage; she finally reached her goal of grazing his chest and when he completely relaxed and began to purr she knew she had him.

"But what did he ask you to do that you said no… it had to be something big since you rarely reject his offers."

"Keh, he wanted to go scam the closest village out of a lot of their money to get rid of a few rats; we've dealt with rat demons before and he doesn't need me for that… the only way to get rid of them is to smoke'em out and you know that bothers my nose."

Kagome laid her head on his shoulder, "Maybe he knows he can handle the job alone but he wants you to go along just for company… you haven't been out of the village in nearly two weeks."

"It is not time for me to go anywhere, Inu is still too young to protect himself and I won't risk either of you being hurt."

"Too young to protect himself… you do remember like an hour after he was born he fought against a kami and over powered him; I'm pretty sure our son can handle himself mate. Tell me… what is the real reason you don't want to go?"

Inuyasha was silent for some time thinking about how to explain to her why he refused to leave, "It's instinct… my instinct is telling me to remain here with you and the pup; you both are very vulnerable at this time and I need to protect you. This need is like a need to breathe after holding your breath for a long time; even if I wished to go my body wouldn't allow me to."

"Oh well… I'm sure Miroku would understand that then; he wasn't away from the girls their first few months so he can't really be mad that you don't want to go. And of course the whole issue with the stink pellets… I wouldn't want you coming home sick," Kagome, now that she got the information she wanted, pulled her hand away from his chest and began to play with his hair now only mildly interested in the conversation as she twirled a few strands of his silky hair around her finger.

Inuyasha didn't like that she had moved away from him so he wrapped his arm around her waist; he didn't want to force her to lay on his side so he just let his hand rest on her opposite hip and hope she would move closer again. "You're right that's why I said it was no big deal before but you needed to pry anyway," a smirk came to his lips at seeing the shocked look on her face and the red hue tinting her cheeks at being caught. Inuyasha then moved close again to nuzzle her cheek with his nose to tell her he forgave her nosiness.

Kagome giggled as his nudging crept down to her ticklish neck ; she moved closer to his body allowing him better access to her but when he licked over her mate mark and she released a gasp both froze as they picked up the sound of soft whimpers from the basket holding their son.

Kagome completely forgot, in that moment of passion, that there was someone else in the room with them; her face grew red again when thinking about what they were going to do with the baby right there. _'I couldn't possibly… we couldn't just make love with him here right? It's completely immoral and would tarnish Inu's innocence… not to mention possibly scar him for life._'

Inu's whimpers and gurgles died down after a few minutes as he was able to fall back to sleep on his own which brought a relieved sigh from both his parents.

"Um… maybe we should wait on that Inuyasha; with Inu in the room I don't really feel in the mood," Kagome moved away from her mate to go change for the night.

Though he was frustrated with not be satisfied, Inuyasha pushed down his needs and welcomed Kagome back into his arms to sleep for the night once she got back in bed. The two parents fell asleep quickly since in only about two hours their boy would be up again for a meal; yes they need all the rest they could get for their up and coming visitors that would be stopping by over the next few days.

* * *

**Note: Several things happened in this chapter and I will explain them. First I was going to have everyone visit Inu in this chapter but I cut it short since it would way too long; but they will show in the next chapter. I also said the time skipping would start with this chapter but I forgot I needed to add important things in the beginning of this chapter so the time skip will be coming later... but don't worry I will warn you when that happens.**

**Second-The story Kaede's tells about the gods and how demons first came to their world I made up, it's not part of the Shinto religion... I'm not that familiar with the creation story they have so I made this up just to add the god of evil into this story. But to shorten when she said Kagome is a decendant from Amaterasu-O-Mi-Kami and Inuyasha is a decendant of the first demons created by Amatsu-Mikaboshi. They were always meant to be mortal enemies so of course if they ever were to love each other and create a child (Inu) that child would have power from both gods.**

**Some terms used in the chapter:  
Amaterasu- Main goddess of the Shinto religion  
Amatsu-Mikaboshi- God of evil  
Yomi-Hell  
Takama-no-Hara- Heaven where the gods lives(except Amatsu and his followers)**

**Third-I've also read many a story where when Inuyasha and Kagome mate she gains his life span and won't die... I have no problem with that however it seems very illogical that it could actually happen. No demon in the anime/manga every showed to have a power like that and demons are not immortal, if they were Inuyasha's and Shiori's fathers would have never died. So my theory is when Kagome and Inuyasha mated in the first chatper of this story it was just a claiming on Inuyasha's part(I think I mentioned somewhere that he could feel when they were seperated that it hurt him being so far away from her but that is just his instincts not the mark having special powers), Kagome has been mortal the whole time; however Inu (being sort of a demi god) has the power to extend his mother's life... that is why in the other story(Seeking power) the future Kagome looks so young, she will look the age she gave birth to Inu for a long long time.**

**Fourth-The issue with Inu's claws... he's not injured. Think of a kitten when they are born their claws are soft as to not hurt their mother while giving birth and then they harden a few days later. That's how Inu's and other baby demons work so Kagome is not hurt when given birth to him.**

**I think that is everything I needed to say that was going on in this chapter... but if I forgot anything and you're confused please send a message and I'll help clearing things up.**

**Thanks to:  
**Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
correctormaritza  
S0me18skittles  
mangamichelle12  
KairiAngel13  
edasama  
bookworm4ever81  
Ldsprincess  
Nyx MG  
xXxAddicted2ChocolatexXx  
Priss-hanyo  
Elantina  
**For the review, lov'em... keep it up!**

**P.S. Happy Mother's Day to all mother's out there!**


	32. Meet Inu and they're still alive

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking"

_'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

Inuyasha woke in a foul mood after a horrible night of barely any sleep because of his pup. Inu was now over a week old and had both his parents wrapped around his tiny clawed finger; he quickly realized all he had to do was let out a small cry and his mother would come cuddle him in her arms.

And last night was the worst by far since his birth, just when Kagome and Inuyasha were comfortable in bed Inu would begin to cry causing one of them to have to get up and go to him; more than not he wanted to snuggle in his mother's arms. After the fourth time of him crying out his father had enough and brought the pup over to his mate who was sitting up on the futon.

"Inuyasha what are you doing? We can't have him in bed with us that's dangerous." Kagome took the boy and laid him on her chest, his crying immediately stopped and he buried his nose into the soft sleeping kimono she was wearing.

"Keh, he's stronger than a human baby and he'll only be here until he falls asleep then I'll move him back to the basket; if you fall asleep I'll take him but he's more comfortable with you," Inuyasha leaned against his pillow watching his mate and pup with a smile on his face.

However that smiled turned into a frown when every time he tried to take the sleeping pup back to his bedding Inu would wake the second he was out of his mother's arms; it became so bad that Kagome wound up sleeping sitting up with the child on her chest. Inuyasha didn't sleep well since he was supposed to be watching over the two of them; he did manage to get about an hour's rest just before the sun rose but he now was awake to the distinct odor of wolf on the wind.

"Great, this day is turning out to be perfect… what the hell does he want?"

"Inuyasha watch your language! I don't want Inu picking that up and swearing like a sailor when he's two," like the dog demon Kagome didn't sleep well either; she was so afraid that she would drop the baby in her sleep that she barely got any rest. And since she was dead tired her temper was shot and she was snapping at everything Inuyasha said; the only person she wasn't angry with was the little being clinging to her chest. Inu's attachment issues had intensified since last night, he refused to leave Kagome even for a second, he threw a fit when she put him down to go change from her night clothes; and he was gripping her haori so tight she was sure his claws were piercing the fabric.

"Keh, relax woman he can't understand what I'm saying… he's getting closer."

Kagome chose to ignore the first comment from her mate's lips and chose to focus on the second, "Who's coming here that's got you so angry Inuyasha?"

"It's the wolf and most likely his whole bunch of brats," Inuyasha folded his arms over his chest and pouted at the thought of Koga bragging about his pups.

"Oh yeah that's right Ayame most likely had her twins by now; if she's with Koga we'll get to see them. And why do you look so depressed, the last time we saw them was in the spring I know you were upset because Koga was going to have three children and I wasn't even pregnant yet but um… hello have you met YOUR son recently?" Kagome would have placed the baby in his arms but he was still refusing to let go of her.

"I just don't want to hear the flea bag bragging that he had a boy before I did… I'm never going to live it down." Inuyasha's ears drooped as he could already feel a headache coming on and the wolf hadn't even shown up yet.

"Oh stop it and promise to be nice… the last thing we need is Inu becoming more upset if the two of you start to fight."

At the mention of his boy Inuyasha looked to the infant still holding tightly to his mother, the boy's behavior was confusing to him; pups did rely heavily on their mothers the first few months of their lives but he was taking it far out of hand… it was like she was going to leave him. A deep growl left the demon's throat and he watched as the pup attempted to lift his head from Kagome's breast; when that failed because he has yet to acquire the strength or complete control over his body he simply released a high pitched whine that his mother thought was directed to her.

"Awe baby what's wrong… Mama's right here."

"He's scared… he can smell Koga too and he's confused as to why neither of us are doing anything about it. I personally would love to kick that scrawny wolf's a-."

"Inuyasha!"

"Feh… that's why he's clinging to you so tightly," Inuyasha continued his statement, minus the threat to the wolf, to inform his mate why their pup was so upset.

"He's afraid of Koga? But why, if we're not threaten by him then shouldn't Inu know he's not dangerous?" Kagome began to rub the baby's back to try and calm him.

"He's a rival male Kagome, Inu will be scared because normally other males are a danger to new pups. In an instinct setting a new rival male could kill a pup to gain access to the female and try to mate and pup her with his own offspring."

"What!? B-But Koga wouldn't do that, he has Ayame. Inu should know he's completely safe."

"He's a pup Kagome that is relying on his basic instincts… he can't see pass that; but I think I can calm him."

Kagome suddenly felt Inuyasha's demon flare up against her powers and fan out throughout the hut; Inu released his death grip on his mother when he felt his alpha's protective aura surround both of them. "You did it Inuyasha, he's a lot calmer now."

"Yeah but it'll only work for a short time, when the wolf gets closer even my power won't calm him."

And true to his word the second Koga stepped into the clearing where Inuyasha built his hut Inu began to scream bloody murder and clutched his mother's top this time ripping the fabric to shreds as he buried his nose into her breast. Unsettled by the pup's cries Inuyasha bolted outside looking for the wolf.

"Hey mutt-face… what's with your demon, I can barely handle standing here; Ayame is on the village border with my cubs because I ain't having them get harmed by it."

"Koga, stop moving!" A thick growl left Inuyasha's mouth with his command, he could hear Kagome trying to calm their son in the hut; Inu's wails had softened to whimpers but he was still upset.

"What gives mutt, you think I'm going to try and steal Kagome or something; in case you haven't noticed I have moved on from her and am very happily mated to Ayame now."

"Would you just shut your mouth wolf and listen to me… lower your aura."

This time Koga growled and bared his fangs, "What you say mutt? Like hell I'm submitting to you."

"No listen," Inuyasha saw this was turning into one of their old spats and he really didn't want to start fighting with the weaker demon; he calmed his breathing but did not lower his own aura because Inu would think he was submitting to the rival male. "Listen Koga, I'm not asking you to submit to me, just lower your aura so my pup can calm down and he won't find you a threat and probably kill you."

Koga's growl immediately stopped and his light blue eyes widened in shock, "Cub… your cub?"

"Yeah after your last drop in we found out Kagome was pupped , she had Inu about seven days ago," Inuyasha couldn't hold back his pride when thinking about his pup.

"Well damn… bout time you had your own kid, and a boy no less so I guess those cubs that showed up really were yours huh?"

"What are you mumbling about wolf? And I thought I told you to lower your aura? I gave you fair warning so if my pup kills you don't blame me."

"Your cub is going to kill me because I'm strong… I highly doubt that mutt face!"

"Koga! How could you say something like that, you might think this is funny but I'm not playing around… you are not leaving the girls and me behind!" Ayame's high pitch voice pierced the quietness of the forest and drew both men's attention to her.

"Ayame, you know I was joking right? I would never purposely jump into a dangerous situation and leave you and the cubs… where are the cubs anyway?" Koga scurried over to his mate with his tail between his legs and ironically he lowered his aura to submit to the female; Inuyasha had to keep his snickering low so neither woman would hear.

But between his laughter Inuyasha's ears were able to pick up the rest of the wolves conversation and something clicked in his head, "Wait did you say girls!?"

* * *

After Ayame appeared and Koga submitted to her, Inu seemed to calm down quickly with the new female in the area; with him settled both Inuyasha and the wolf family came into the hut.

"Oh Kagome, you had a cub! Let me see!" The minute Ayame spotted her friend she came over and sat by the other girl's side to gaze at her child. Kagome moved the fire rat robe, that she had wrapped Inu in, away from her child's face so the wolf could see him. "Oh Kagome, he's so handsome… he's going to be quite the looker when he's older eh?" Kagome could only nod, already knowing the answer to that; Ayame was never around when the pups came here the first time so she didn't know what he would look like. "Maybe one of our girls could be his mate when their older."

At Ayame's words both men objected strongly to the idea of mixing the breeds. "Ayame what are you thinking, none of my princesses will ever mate as long as I'm alive much less with mutt face's boy."

"Keh, like I want my son to be related to a smelly wolf like you."

Both women rolled their eyes at their mates' behavior… they always acted like children themselves when they were together.

"Ma… Mama?" The soft sleepy call from the large furry nest on the far side of the room had Ayame turning to greet her oldest child. Sayuri slowly sat up from her nap confused as to where she was and a little scared that she could barely catch either of her parents' scents.

"I'm here cub… did you have a nice nap? Be careful not to wake them when you get up." The child listened to her mother's warning as she carefully crawled out of the fur blanket and made her way over to Ayame.

Kagome couldn't believe how pretty the young wolf cub was getting every time she saw her; she was still wearing the all-white fur like a little girl's dress but this time, unlike the last, her soft light brown hair was pulled up into two twin pony tails like her mother making her look like a near copy of the older female.

"Mama… doggy home?"

"Yes we're in Kagome and Inuyasha's hut, do you remember them?"

Sayuri turned to examine the other woman and took a good sniff to figure out who she was; a big smile then came to the toddler's face as she recognized Kagome's scent. The little girl then moved away from Ayame and was about to try and climb on to Kagome's lap but the older wolf stopped her; she was confused at being denied what she wanted but just before she began to cry her mother explained why she wasn't allowed.

"Sayuri-chan, use your nose like a big girl; Kagome can't hold you because she is holding a cub."

At the mention of a little one Sayuri looked over to the fur bedding and counted the little heads there; she was learning to count and knew she had two younger siblings so when she saw two heads she grew confused. "No cub… sleeping."

"No not them honey, Kagome has her own cub, you may go see but be very careful."

The young princess slowly approached and Kagome turned Inu to face the child so they could meet. Inu at first began to panic when his mother pried his hands from her shirt and turned him, he didn't like being so exposed but he did relax somewhat when he felt her place her hand on his tummy to support him and she laid him on her chest again; however, all of this left his little mind when his eyes focused on the little wolf cub in front of him.

Sayuri's tail began to wag in excitement at meeting a new cub, "Mama… small cub."

"Yes he is small honey because he was born a few days ago; you remember when the twins were tiny yes?" Just then a whine from the fur bedding had Ayame up and tending to one of her youngest children; then the other one started and it was just better to get them both up then try to get them to fall asleep again.

Kagome was so excited to finally see the wolf's newest children; Ayame brought the two small cubs over so the other woman could see; now somewhat awake from their naps the wolf twins were laying on their mother's chest curious as to this new location.

"Oh they're adorable! They remind me of Sango's babies when they were that small," Kagome couldn't believe how the little ones were mirror imagines of each other.

"I'd like to introduce Momoka," Ayame raised her left arm a little to indicate which twin she was talking about, "And this is Hinata," she then moved her right to indicate the second child.

"Two girls… and they look just like you Ayame." Well Kagome's word were almost true, both little girls had their mother's soft facial features like Sayuri but they had more of an auburn hair color and their eyes were teal rather than all blue or green like their parents.

The older female blushed at the compliment and then gently nuzzled both girls' cheeks; it always amazed Kagome the rapid growth demons went through, the twins were as alert as a two year old human would be.

'_I wonder if Inu will grow that fast or will he age more like a human since he's only a half demon.'_ Kagome looked to the infant in her arms who was currently mesmerized by Sayuri's swing tail, she pressed a kiss to the crown of his head and decided that she liked him at this age and hoped he would age slowly so he could enjoy his childhood.

While the girls were talking about their children the men had slipped outside to get some fresh air. Koga was sitting on the edge of the veranda enjoying the late summer breeze the eastern lands provided; back up north in the mountains the winds were so wild this time of year, and demons that relied on their noses like wolves, had a very hard time sensing danger under those conditions.

Inuyasha was nearby chopping wood to keep himself busy and keep him from teasing his once rival… but his ego won out and he couldn't stop himself. "So… three girls huh wolf?"

The other man's ice blue eyes lit up as he glared at the dog, "Yeah… what of it mutt-face?"

"Oh nothing really I just thought that you, of all demons, would have had at least one son before me since you know you're having all these pups and all… maybe you can only produce female pups."

"Back off my girls alright, I don't care they aren't boys; they'll be just like their mother. And I already told you I have plenty of time to have a boy, and my mate isn't lacking in the conceiving part of mating, so I'm not worried about it… actually you should be the one worried; if the monk and I have all girls what's your son going to do when he's older?"

"What do you mean?" Inuyasha tilted his head at the question he was asked.

Koga rolled his eyes, "Think about it mutt… if I have three girls and the monk's got two how many boys will there be for your son to play with?"

The dog paused for a second then shook his head, "I ain't worried about it, Shippo comes around a lot and there are children he can play with in the village; plus who knows what Miroku will have next… I think you're the only one with the defective genes." With one more jab from Inuyasha both men were back to teasing each other and at each other's throat.

Inside the hut both Ayame and Kagome could hear their respective mate outside the door and they both released deeps sighs of frustration… it was truly becoming a pain having to deal with their behavior… they were worse than the children's tantrums.

Later that night after the wolves had returned to their clan, Inu was feed and fell right to sleep after his exciting day and not sleeping well the night before; Kagome and Inuyasha, though tired themselves, were relaxing comfortably on their futon thinking about their day.

"Can you believe it, Ayame's twins were so cute, and you know you really shouldn't tease Koga so much about having three girls; if you remember correctly mister by my count you have two sons and four daughters in the future," Kagome poked her mate's chest to knock his ego, that had inflated that afternoon, down a bit.

"I'm aware of all our pups genders Kagome, I just feel I have the right to brag a bit that I was the first to have a son. Both the wolf and Miroku were always teasing me because we didn't have a pup and now we do… and it was a boy. You have no idea the pride that flows through a man knowing he was able to produce a son… and he's my first born too!"

Kagome could see the joy in his golden eyes and she just couldn't be mad at him; she was quite proud herself for being able to give him a son… any child she could give him she would be proud of with what she went through just to have that first child. "Okay I can understand that you are proud of Inu… but you don't need to rub it in your friends' faces, you know how it felt when they bragged in front of you."

Inuyasha would have argued back but hearing her be all motherly, even to him, was too cute to fight back with. "Keh, fine I'll lay off a bit." A bit meaning whenever she was within earshot, otherwise he was rubbing it in the other men's' faces that he was the first to have a son… on yeah it was all fair game.

* * *

The next morning was like the previous only instead of Inu not sleeping all night he was out the minute Kagome put him down and only woke once to nurse. But when the sun rose the tiny pup suddenly released a blood curling scream followed by heavy crying that put Inuyasha on alert the moment he jolted awake.

Kagome, who had been lying on her mate's chest sound asleep, was violently woken when he jumped up due to their son, "Wha… Inuyasha what's wrong?" She was barely awake trying to figure out why her mate suddenly jumped up so abruptly; she quickly snapped out of her haze when she heard her baby crying. "Inuyasha, what's got him so upset?"

"The damn leech, I'll kill him!" Inuyasha was off the futon the minute his pup began screaming and he knew the reason why; the scent of the baby half demon's assailant was all over the basket the child was laying in. "Damn you old man!"

Kagome watched as the curses flew from Inuyasha's mouth, if the situation wasn't so hectic she would have been hollering at him for the language around Inu. The dog demon then reached inside the basket and seemed to snatch something up and started to yell at whatever was between his fingers.

"What the hell were you doing!?"

"Inu-Inuyasha-sama, it's so nice to see you again after such a long time and I was very surprised to see young Inu had been born… I congratulate both yourself and Kagome-sama on this blessed event!"

"Yeah you were so excited that you just had to taste my pup's blood huh?"

When Kagome realized that her mate was yelling at his flea demon retainer she knew it was alright to approach and pick up her child. "Shh… it's okay Inu, Mama's here," she picked the infant up and laid him on her chest to calm his cries.

"W-Well I just… well both Kagome-sama and your blood is so tasty on its own there wasn't a doubt in my mind that combined it would be like wine from the kami; not to mention by taking a small sample of the young master's blood I will be giving my services as his council too."

"Feh, what council are you good for? The second you smell danger you're off running, and you will never bite my son again do you understand," Inuyasha put pressure on Myoga's tiny head by pinching his fingers together threatening to squash the little demon.

"Of… of course m-master."

"Inuyasha, if you've going to yell at Myoga-san please do it in the other room; all of your hollering is preventing me from calming Inu down," Kagome wasn't pleased by either man since both of them were upsetting her baby at this moment; she began to hum a soft tune to settle the boy while Inuyasha left the bedroom to continue his conversation.

"Master, I apologize for upsetting both Kagome-sama and the young master… I had no intention of doing so," now away from the woman and pup Inuyasha released the death pinch he had the flea retainer in; Myoga bowed deeply to show his apology.

"Feh, save it old man because you have no idea how much danger you were just in."

"My lord I assure you I would never harm your heir; I have been under your great father's advisement for many centuries and I look forward to being able to serve you and your family as well."

"I wasn't talking about you hurting Inu, your demonic aura is barely noticeable so I highly doubt you could really harm him; I was talking about him hurting you." Inuyasha made his way over to the cold fire pit and began to start a fire with what little wood was still there; once he spotted the familiar orange glow he began to feed it more logs and sticks from the wood chop pile to get a good blaze going; he knew after Kagome got Inu settled and fed she would want to start their own breakfast.

Myoga hopped out of the dog demon's hand when he first lit the fire and found perch on his shoulder where he sat comfortably and began to ponder the bigger demon's statement. "I will admit I am very confused my lord by what you say… how could a little babe like your pup hurt me?" He understood of course that the child could squash him like his father does from time to time; but that wouldn't be for a few more years.

"Remember when the pups came from the future three years ago?"

"How could I not my lord, when Kagome-sama told me of their coming birth I wept with joy."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the flea demon's over exaggeration, "Yeah… well we thought Inu was given his powers when he accepted So'unga but that wasn't the case; he was born with them… apparently a combination of Kagome's and my blood gave him them."

"Well that wouldn't surprise me, Kagome-sama has always had great power and the blood in your veins is not weak either."

Inuyasha watched as the fire popped and crackled, in the other room he could hear shuffling which most likely was Kagome dressing to come out where he was. "Feh, well he's able to use his powers even at this young age and he will attack anyone that is a threat to Kagome or himself so I'd be careful if I were you old man."

"I will take your warning graciously my lord… ah my lady as beautiful as ever and I hope the young master is alright."

Inuyasha turned to his mate and pup at Myoga's greeting; she smiled and sat gently by his side and placed the wide awake baby on his blanket by her side so she could start breakfast.

"He's fine Myoga-san, though I hope Inuyasha won't need to warn you again about biting him yes?" Kagome eyed the small demon while she scooped rice out of the bin to prepare to cook over the fire.

"Of course my lady, Inuyasha-sama has told me of the babe's unique gifts and I will be careful around him," Myoga bowed respectfully toward her and then hopped off Inuyasha's shoulder and carefully approached the baby.

Lying on his back on the blanket Inu was busy watching his mother moving about; he never noticed when the small demon jumped on to his chubby baby belly and began to speak to him. "Young master my deepest apologies for sampling your blood earlier… I hope it doesn't put us on bad terms when you are older; with you powers and all I wouldn't want to fall on the bad side of your temper… which I'm sure you inherited from your Otousan," Myoga whispered the last part but Inuyasha still picked it up.

The older dog demon again snatched up the parasite from his son's stomach between his forefinger and thumb, putting pressure on his bulbous head, Inuyasha glared, "Watch it flea or I'll find a nice crow demon you haven't possessed and feed you to it."

A sharp squeak drew both men's' attention to the infant; Inu pulled his gaze away from his mother when he heard his father's voice. A big gummy smile came to the boy's face and his little legs frantically kicked in excitement.

"What's that pup… on you think feeding old Myoga to a crow is a good idea huh? Well how about you and me go find a big one… a little Tousan and son bonding time eh?"

"Inuyasha, stop teasing Myoga-san," Kagome scooped out two bowls of rice and the remaining rabbit meat they had the night before for supper. When her mate smelled breakfast Inuyasha flicked the tiny bug demon somewhere in the room and accepted the bowls and began munching away.

"So Myoga-san, what brings you to our hut anyway… surely you didn't know I was pregnant since we haven't seen you in a while."

Once Myoga recovered from being thrown across the room he returned to sit with the small family… only this time on Kagome's shoulder since she was less likely to squash him. "Well actually I was checking up on Inuyasha-sama's lands since he hasn't been to the west in nearly three seasons."

"I told Sesshomaru I don't want those lands and I wasn't going to anymore of those stupid council meetings when all those old men do is argue over who are invading who's territory."

Myoga chose to ignore his master's words and continued speaking to Kagome, "And I happened to be returning to Totosai's mountain when I flew over Sesshomaru-sama. That loud toad demon that follows him around was squawking and I overheard them speaking about your carrying Kagome-sama; I of course needed to see if it was true and am very pleased to see they spoke the truth," Myoga jumped for joy when thinking about the young heir again; he jumped from Kagome's shoulder and bounced over to the pup again who was now asleep. "It amazes me how much he resembles you my lord when you were a babe and yet he gain my lady's colorings."

Kagome began to pick up the empty bowls and made her way over to her wash basin to let them soak, "Well it was bound to happen sooner or later Myoga-san, everyone in my family has dark hair and didn't your Okaasan have it as well Inuyasha?"

"Yeah she did, that's why on the new moon I had black hair… I like that the pup has it because he will be able to blend in easier with humans when he's older. When I was a pup my demon blood made me stick out like a sore thumb, I had no escape… but he'll fit in more and I'm glad," Inuyasha gently reached over to rub the baby's cheek; even in his sleep Inu leaned slightly into his father's touch already recognizing who it was which caused Inuyasha to smile.

Kagome watched the father and son bonding and it helped ease the ache it her heart knowing the hardships her mate had to go through when he was a child; she knew he feared what their son may have to go through but with his more human features he wouldn't be as much of a target for hatred.

Myoga remained with the family until around midday, and before he bid farewell and hopped on his bird to fly away, he mentioned that Totosai might drop in one day soon to see the young master himself. Inuyasha could already feel a headache coming on where the blacksmith was concerned but Kagome shushed him and waived to the retreating flea demon wishing him a safe trip.

* * *

Deciding they had enough of staying in their hut today Kagome packed up Inu and the family headed into the village to see their friends. Upon turning the corner and viewing Miroku's hut neither were expecting to see Sango's young brother standing outside talking with the monk.

"Hello Kohaku-kun, how are you?"

Kagome's cheerful greeting startled the boy slightly causing him to blush when he met her gaze, "Hel… Hello Kagome-sama, how… how are you? Aneue said you recently birthed a son, congratulations."

"Yes I did and thank you," Kagome moved the blanket she had wrapped Inu in for the trip away from his face so the teen could see him better.

"He looks strong and very much like you Inuyasha-sama."

"What did I tell you about referring to me so formally boy?"

"R-Right… my apologies." Kohaku bowed his head in embarrassment.

"Come on Inuyasha, give him a break he's got enough to be worried about right now," Miroku's words drew curious looks from both of his friends.

Kagome, ever the concerned mother and caring older sister, could immediately tell something was bothering the teen, "Kohaku-kun, what's wrong?"

"It… It's Aneue… she's mad at me."

Kagome couldn't believe it, in all the time she's known Sango she's never been mad at her little brother. Sango loved Kohaku and she was deeply upset when he was under Naraku's control; these past few years that he has been away demon hunting she has missed him but she was glad he was safe.

"Kagome, maybe you can speak with her about it; I tried to calm her but she refused to listen to me," Miroku put a supporting hand on Kohaku's shoulder to comfort the depressed boy.

"Um okay… I don't know what I can do but I'll try… everything will be okay Kohaku-kun don't worry."

While Kagome went into the hut to talk to Sango, the men had business to attend to in the village; Miroku filled Inuyasha in on what was going on, the demon burst out laughing once he realized what the situation was.

"You have got to be kidding me monk, and you expect Kagome to fix this?"

"I'm not expecting her to fix it… just maybe talk some sense into my wife; when Sango is angry she doesn't think clearly and she doesn't realize what could be affected by her being irrational right now."

"Yeah well your wife is as stubborn as mine so I suggest you both stop by the shrine and pray to whatever god you can that Kagome can reason with her… I doubt it but you can try."

"Thank you for your confidence my friend really."

* * *

"Sango, it's me," Kagome announced herself before entering the hut; Sango had a bad reputation of throwing things when she was anger and the young woman didn't want to be an innocent victim of a well-aimed pot.

Inside the cozy home it was rather quiet… which wasn't a good sign with twin toddlers running around. But Kagome didn't spot either girl nor Sango in the main room; in fact the only person that was in the room was a girl maybe a few years younger than Kagome herself that she had never seen before. "Um… hello?"

The girl looked up from staring at her hands and merely nodded a greeting in Kagome's direction. Before Kagome could ask her who she was Sango came barging out of the bedroom with a frown on her face.

"Hello Kagome, I thought I heard you come in, sorry I wasn't here to greet you I was putting the girls down for a nap… I see you two are getting along," Sango looked between her friend and the other girl; Kagome couldn't help but notice how Sango glared at the girl or how the girl stared back down at her hands.

"Actually I hadn't introduced myself yet."

"Well then allow me to Usagi, this my closest friend Kagome; Kagome, this is Usagi… my Otouto's soon to be bride."

A light bulb clicked in Kagome's head as to what was going on, "Oh… well it's nice to meet you Usagi-chan," she gave a gentle smile to the younger girl to make her feel a little more comfort at least with all the tension in the room. "Um… Sango, may I speak with you outside please?" Kagome shifted her son in her arms when he began to stir. A look was exchanged between the two women before Sango finally gave in and headed for the door; Kagome gave one more smile to the nervous girl before following her friend out.

Once outside and a little ways away from the hut so Usagi wouldn't hear them Kagome began to ask questions, "Sango, you're very tense, do you mind telling me why?"

"You're smart Kagome, so you should know why I'm upset; my Otouto wants to marry that girl!"

"I may be missing something but she seems like a very nice girl to me."

"But that's just it Kagome, we don't know a thing about her! They just showed up this morning and Kohaku said he wanted to marry her. I don't know where she came from or what her family is like; as the head of my family he's waiting for me to give my blessing on their marriage but I think he's making a big mistake."

"Okay calm down and let's think about this a little more; Kohaku-kun is a very smart boy and I don't think he would rush into something this important. When I spoke with him earlier he was very upset that you were mad at him-."

"What!? I'm not mad at him!"

"He loves you dearly and values your opinion… I think maybe you should talk to Usagi-chan and get to know her before you make the decision about them." With Kagome's reasonable advice the women returned to the hut to talk to and get to know Kohaku's fiancée.

When the men returned to the hut an hour later they were expecting Sango to still be upset like when they left; however, they were rather surprised to see both women talking amicably while enjoying a cup of tea.

Kagome wasn't present which caused Inuyasha to frantically look around, "Oi, where's Kagome?"

Sango looked over to the men with a sharp glare at their interruption, "Kagome is in the other room feeding Inu-kun… she'll be out shortly. Why don't all of you have a seat so we may talk," Sango's invitation couldn't be refused and so both Miroku and Kohaku came to sit close to the small fire in the center of the room. Inuyasha took a seat by the wall, this didn't involve him nor was he willing to get involved; maybe if he remained quiet he could sneak his family out of the hut without being dragged into the conversation.

When Sango finished making another pot of tea and passed the cups around to the men Kagome had finished caring for the baby and came out to the main room; seeing that her mate had returned brought a smile to her face. As she approached Inuyasha opened his arms inviting her into his embrace, "I trust whatever you boys needed to do is done yes?"

Once Kagome was sitting comfortably and Inuyasha was sure both the pup and she were alright he answered, "Yeah and you're never going to guess what it was; everything go okay here?"

Inu stirred in his mother's arms for a moment when he heard his father's voice but Kagome rocked him gently back to sleep, "Yes we were okay, Sango was very upset but I was able to convince her to speak to Usagi-chan before making her judgment; I am guessing by Kohaku-kun's happy expression that Hisashi-san has granted him permission to build a hut yes?"

Inuyasha stiffened for a second before a deep chuckle left his throat; it always amazed him how clever his mate was. "Keh, yeah the old man did… though the kid said he wasn't going to start without Sango's blessing first." Inuyasha rested his chin on his mate's shoulder to watch the other family come to some sort of agreement. Kagome already knew what was going to happen because of the talk the girls had earlier.

* * *

The hour before the boys came back to the hut the girls had sat by the fire and began to ask Usagi a bunch of different questions. It turned out the young girl had come from a village on the border of the north and west territories; for some time the town had a very bad infestation of snake demons. Apparently a group of men that were looking to expand the fields disturbed the massive nest and the snakes attacked; several of the men were bitten and a few days later died from the venom… but the snakes weren't through with just one attack. So the villagers wouldn't try to take their land again the demons entered the village and began to bite anyone that got close to them.

Months after the first attack Usagi had been sent by her ailing mother, that had been bitten the day before while working in the fields, to the village's herbalist; they were such a small town that no priest or priestess had ever stopped by or taken up residence so the only source of medicine they had was an old woman who knew a little bit about mixing herbs to make remedies. While on her way there three large snake demons slithered out of a bush and surrounded Usagi; with no way to escape she was ready to accept her death. It was just as the snakes were about to attack was when Kohaku appeared and killed them.

He remained in the village for several days clearing out the snakes but sadly it was too late; both Usagi's parents along with most of the town perished due to the poison. Kohaku, being the gentle soul that he was, felt guilty for not getting there sooner to help; he knew he didn't have much but he afford Usagi his protection. The young girl with no family and now no real home anymore accepted his offer and left with him when he continued on his journey. They were together for several months and grew very close, Kohaku even showed her how to defend herself from demons; a few weeks before the two came to Kaede's the now fifteen year old boy asked the village girl to be his bride.

And that was basically Usagi's story that she told the two women. Kagome had thought it was very romantic since it was very similar to her own story with her mate; Sango however still wasn't convinced that this girl was good enough for her little brother. The glare Sango was giving the girl made the poor thing cringe and bow her head again; before Kagome could step in to save the young girl one of the twins began to fuss in the other room and Sango stood to tend to her, leaving Kagome with Usagi.

"She really hates me doesn't she?"

Kagome jumped slightly at the soft voice from the girl she barely heard; her heart went out to the teen seeing how upset she was. "It's not that she doesn't like you Usagi-chan, it's just… Sango is very protective of Kohaku-kun; a lot has happened to them in the last three years and she's afraid she will lose him again. Did… did he tell you what happened… has he ever mentioned a demon named Naraku?"

"Yes… Kohaku-kun has told me all about what happened to him… that Naraku made him kill his family and that he was under Naraku's control for a very long time."

Kagome shivered and drew her son closer to her body remembering the time the boy had attacked her while under Naraku's control; Sango was going to kill him because she wanted to free him but thankfully Inuyasha stopped her. "Yes he was and in the last battle we had with Naraku he killed Kohaku-kun right in front of us; luckily we were able to bring him back but since then Sango has been very protective of him… just give her a little time to get used to the idea okay?" Kagome gave the girl a wink which caused Usagi to smile.

Sango returned a few minutes later stopping the girl's laughter. "What's so funny?"

"It's nothing Sango, Usagi-chan and I were just getting to know each other… I think she would make a great addition to your family. And if you really think about it we do need more women in the group," Kagome's amusement was just her own seeing as Usagi had no clue what she was talking about and Sango just wasn't laughing.

"I believe it remains my decision if she is accepted into my family Kagome; and I am still not certain of this match. Kohaku should be with a woman who is familiar with the slayer ways as was my Okaasan when she was matched with my Otousan."

Kagome rolled her eyes at her friend's ridiculous behavior, "Well if Usagi-chan remains in the village I'm certain you could train her Sango since you are the best female slayer."

"What do you mean remains in the village?"

At Sango's question Kagome knew the exact way to sway her opinion in Usagi's favor, "Didn't you know Sango; the boys were on their way to Hisashi-san's hut to ask permission for Kohaku-kun to build a hut. And if you think about it if he does build a hut in the village and starts a family here with Usagi-chan then he will certainly be here a lot more than he used to and you won't have to worry about him as often!"

* * *

Kagome's idea ignited a sparkle in Sango's eye and suddenly her attitude toward her brother's fiancée completely changed. Which led everyone to this moment and Sango's decision; Kagome could see both teens were eager to know the older woman's final decision.

Sango put down her cup and looked directly at her brother, she was quite proud when he didn't shy away from her gaze like he used to but rather faced her head on almost in a challenging manner; he was finally a man in her eyes.

"Kohaku, I have come to a decision upon the question you asked me earlier… I have spoken to Usagi-chan and she is a very nice girl," she looked over and a smile came to her face seeing the young girl blush. "I have decision… to give you both my blessing."

Sango's words shocked the boy; he knew how hard it would be for her to let him go, he never thought she would accept his union with a girl she never met before today. He was just about to jump up and pull Usagi into his arms but his sister's raised hand halted his movement.

"I know you're excited Otouto; however, I have a request that goes with this decision."

"A request Aneue?"

"Oh come on Sango, give the kid a break!" Inuyasha's outburst was surprising to everyone in the hut; Kagome became angry at what he said and she gave him a light slap on the arm.

"Inuyasha, shush you didn't want to be involved and this is a family thing… it's not our business."

"But you forget mate, they are part of my pack and I am the only one allowed to make rules that involve mating."

"Well this time you'll stand down and allow Sango to handle it or I'll suspend our matings for three months… you got it?" With Kagome's threat on the table Inuyasha's ears drooped and he immediately back down remaining quiet for the rest of the time he was in the hut.

Sango didn't even bother to acknowledge Inuyasha's outburst and continued to stare at her brother, "Yes Otouto, and the request will be followed am I clear? I still believe both of you are still too young to marry but I am allowing it the least you could do is deal with my request."

Kohaku released a deep sigh knowing there was no point in arguing, "Alright Aneue… what is it?"

"I ask that you wait a few more years before having a child," Sango's request had Miroku protesting and blushes on the younger teens' faces.

"Sango, my dear you can't possibly expect Kohaku to wait that long to consummate his marriage can you?" Miroku's blunt question had Usagi gasping for breath, her face was beat red and Kagome was almost certain she was regretting accepting Kohaku's proposal.

"Um Usagi-chan, why don't you go to the stream just down the road and refill the water pitcher for Sango," Kagome wanted to give the girl an excuse to leave the hut and get some air; Usagi completely agreed and all but bolted from the room… she nearly forgot the pitcher in her haste.

"Oniisan, did you have to say that in front of her, she's not used to such open speech," Kohaku glared at his brother-in-law.

"What? I was trying to help you; you simply do not understand what Sango is asking of you… when you caress a woman's flesh for the first time-."

"Oi monk, we don't need to hear your perverted talk. Keep it clean with my pup in the room," Inuyasha growled ready to pounce on his friend should he continue his train of thought.

Sango too glared at her husband for his choice of words, "Kohaku, I'm not asking you to hold up marrying Usagi; the last thing we need is the old women gossiping about the two of you living together and not being married. What I'm asking is for you to just wait a few more years before having a child; both of you are nowhere near ready to take on the responsibility that is involved with caring for a child."

For a moment it looked like the young boy was going to protest his sister's request but Kagome stepped in with a bit of advice. "Kohaku-kun, Sango's right you should wait to have a baby. I know it is customary that young girls marry and have children early in their lives in this time but where I came from you're both still considered children yourselves. It's also been proven that having a baby while you're still developing is very dangerous for both the Mama and baby. Usagi-chan is only fourteen and her body has barely begun to advance into womanhood; for the sake of your future children's health you should wait."

Kohaku sighed in defeat knowing he couldn't argue with the older women's wisdom; he also didn't want to hurt Usagi in any way, "Okay Aneue… we'll wait to have children until later."

A smile came to Sango's face again, "Good… and trust me Otouto, its' better this way. Now Hisashi-san did grant your permission to build a hut yes? I'm sure Miroku would love to help you construct it; and until it's completion you both will stay with us." Sango sent a challenging glare to her husband as if daring him to protest her decision.

Miroku gave a nervous chuckle, "Yes of course my love, I would be glad to help Kohaku with that."

Kagome saw the strained smile on the man's face and knew he was thinking about what happened the last time he built a hut; she also didn't miss the snickering coming from behind her… Inuyasha was enjoying his friend's pain at little too much and she would need to fix that. "That's a great idea Sango, and I'm sure they would even get done faster with a demon helping them," she had to stop her giggles when she felt her mate stiffen up behind her.

"Oh why thank you for the suggestion Kagome, there will be a lot of heavy logs we will need for the foundation and our dear friend Inuyasha's strength would be most helpful," the big grin on Miroku's face made Inuyasha want to punch him.

"Feh… yeah I'll help," Inuyasha wasn't happy to be volunteered to help when he didn't even participate in the conversation but one look from his mate, who was holding his pup, he couldn't say no to her.

* * *

"Kagome, why did you say I would help build the kid's hut? I have more important things to do," Inuyasha grumbled while following his mate back to their hut; he had been moaning and groaning since they left Sango's hut but Kagome was ignoring him.

"Like what is so important that you've been doing recently? Ever since we found out I was pregnant you've been hovering around me except when Miroku dragged you away to do an extermination; and since Inu has been born you haven't gone anywhere… it won't kill you to help out a friend."

"I haven't been doing nothing woman, I've been protecting both the pup and you which is a full time job or have you forgotten that a kami wants our son?" Inuyasha smiled seeing his boy laying his head on his mate's shoulder staring back at him. A smirk came to his lips when he realized the pup was actually starting at him, it was amazing how a creature so small and new to the world could already control some of his motor functions… the demon blood running through his veins helped a lot; Inuyasha's chest swelled with pride just knowing it was his blood flowing through the child.

Seeing the pools of amber that mirrored his own reflecting back at him Inuyasha decided to test his boy's vision, he was about three steps behind his mate which was a good distance to try this; he started slow to catch the baby's attention which wasn't hard since he was the boy's father. Inuyasha moved his ears up and down and a chuckle left him when he saw the boy's eyes slowly follow the fuzzy appendages movements.

"No of course I didn't forget that Inuyasha, I don't want anyone to hurt Inu… but that doesn't mean you can't help out around the village a little bit. You can help build Kohaku-kun's hut and we will be watching at Sango's… everyone wins yes?" Kagome pulled Inu off her shoulder to cradle him in her arms and thus breaking eye contact with father and son; which caused Inuyasha to slump back into his grumpy mood.

"Feh, yeah I guess that would be fine."

The two parents were so busy with their argument that they didn't realize they had already arrived at their hut or that they had a visitor.

"It is amazing how easy you roll over at your mate's command Otouto... I could hear your squabbling for some time and it is quite annoying."

"What the hell are you doing here Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha moved from behind Kagome to stand in front of her to protect his family from his brother.

"I was informed that your pup was born, as alpha I am to see the pup."

"Do you make up all the these rules up on your own or is there some hand book you're given."

"Inuyasha!" Sesshomaru wasn't Kagome's favorite relative most of the time but her mate was still being rather rude. She could also feel both dog demons' aura rising to dangerous levels for the small clearing; not only was it dangerous because the villagers may become worried about the growling so close to the town, but Inu was starting to fuss over his father's anger.

"Um can you both calm down please we don't need Kaede-sama and the others to come here; and Inuyasha, your son is becoming upset."

At his mate's warning Inuyasha stopped growling, "We'll go inside then."

Once in the hut and Inu calmed Kagome went about preparing supper while the two brothers' spoke… or just glared across the fire at each other.

"How'd you know Kagome had the pup anyway, I never sent anyone to the west to tell you." Inuyasha looked over to his son at his side to make sure he was a safe distance away from the other dog; no way was he letting Sesshomaru even get a whiff of the pup's scent until he was ready to let him.

"It was required of you to do such, as alpha I should be the first one to know about new births in our pack; I should not hear it as second hand information from your advisor while he is speaking to the sword forger."

"Totosai? You were there when Myoga returned… what the hell were you doing there anyway? You know the old man won't make you another sword."

"Though it is not your business I was not there to retrieve a new weapon… merely seeking information on one."

"Seeking information? What are you… what the hell!?"

"Inuyasha, what have I told you about your language around the baby!?" Kagome turned away from what she was cutting up about ready to punish her mate but the 'sit' died on her tongue when she saw what caused Inuyasha to curse in the first place. _'His arm… it grew back.'_

The two adults were shocked to see Sesshomaru's left arm peeking out of his kimono resting on the swords at his waist; the appendage had been cut off over three years ago and unless the dog lord was related to a form of crab demon, limbs should not just grow back.

"Alright out with it bastard how'd your arm grow back so fast?"

Kagome looked to her mate, ever since the two brothers had joined forces involving the west Inuyasha hasn't called his brother by any disrespectful names; so for the 'bastard' to leave his lips he was very upset about the situation. "W-Wait a minute… grow back so f-fast?" She paled just thinking about the limb growling back slowly over several years.

"Feh, yeah eventually it would have grown back; demons are considered weak when losing a limb like an arm or leg. Lower level demons would soon die because they are attacked and cannot defend themselves; now more powerful demons like Sesshomaru and myself we can survive the loss of limb and eventually, given time, we can store enough power to regrow the missing appendage."

"Um okay… so then doesn't it mean Sesshomaru simply gained the power he needed and poof, his arm came back?" Kagome put down the knife she was using and moved completely away from the vegetables she was cutting up, now not in the mood for any type of meal because of the information she just learned.

"Not a chance, with chasing around Naraku immediately after I cut it off and only having two years to recover isn't enough time to gather the energy needed to regenerate a full new arm; so what did you do Sesshomaru, you're not one to ask for help and I doubt you have any friends that would lend you it," Inuyasha smirked wanting to see how his stubborn, cold hearted brother was going to explain this one.

It was suttle but with his sharp eye sight Inuyasha caught the smirk that was on Sesshomaru's face and it creped him out, "What's there to smile about Sesshomaru, who helped you?"

"Your pup, Otouto."

Kagome moved over to where her son was laying, in a bed of blankets by his father, and brought the child to lay in her arms; Inu protested the jostling that woke him from his late afternoon nap, but he quieted down the second his mother's soothing scent filled his nose. "Inu helped you… but how is that possible when you've just met him today Sesshomaru?"

"It appears our last encounter miko was very beneficial to this Sesshomaru."

* * *

The demon lord remembered the last time he had seen his brother's mate earlier in the season; at the time she was heavy with pup and it was his job as alpha to determine the little one's strength before its' birth. Sesshomaru knew if the pup was weak he would have no choice but to kill it, yes his brother would be angry and upset but he knew the laws of their pack. But when he touched the breeding woman's stomach and sent his own aura in to examine the pup he hadn't expected recoil; apparently even in the womb his nephew knew the possible danger he was in so he protected himself by zapping the demon lord.

After Sesshomaru left the family that day he did not return to the west, even hours after the encounter the lord could still feel the strange power running through his body; he even tried to expel the power himself but that wasted more of his own energy than getting rid of the other. There was no way he was going to go back to the palace like this, the last thing he needed was one of the clan leaders detecting the aura within him and claiming him weak; so he remained on the edge of his brother's forest to the north of where the old miko's village was, far enough away that Inuyasha wouldn't come searching for why he was there.

Several weeks after the encounter is when it happened; Sesshomaru had been resting, because the demon lord didn't need to sleep, against a tree when the pain started. At first it was a pinch in the stub of what was left of his left arm; by the middle of the night it began to ache and by sunrise Sesshomaru could ignore the pain no longer. Being as old as he was Sesshomaru had experienced a lot of pain in his life, most of it he could easily brush off as nothing, but this was a pain he had never felt before. It was so intense that everything else was blocked out; somehow he had released himself of his armor and kimono top and was standing waist deep in the middle of a pond before he came back to his senses. Looking at his reflection Sesshomaru was shocked to see his eyes flashing red every few seconds as his beastly form was trying to break free to fight the sharp pain ripping through his body; he was ashamed of himself for nearly losing control like a mere pup. He was so busy trying to control himself that he missed the fact that his left side was glowing black; then like the pain started it suddenly went away.

Sesshomaru took several deep breaths and glared in displeasure that the pain had actually made him sweat somewhat; drops of salty liquid where trailing from his hair all the way down his chest to disappear just inside his soaked hakama. Not wanting others to know that the lord of the west could be weaken to the point of perspiration, and since he was already in water, Sesshomaru figured a bath would do him some good at this point in time.

In the early morning everything was peaceful, the demon lord expanded his senses to check and make sure no other demons were in the area; he did not fear attack, because he was the strongest being alive, he just didn't want to be annoyed by another's presences while he bathed. Once certain all those in the area had moved away by his strong aura Sesshomaru descended farther into the cooling water of the pond; having mastered the ability to hold his breath far longer than a normal person could Sesshomaru merely floated within the water thinking about what happened to him earlier.

After a while and not being able to figure out what happened caused anger the ice prince has never felt to course through him; just as he was about to make a move to surface, as he had been under water for nearly twenty minutes, the pain returned more violently than the first time paralyzing Sesshomaru and trapping him under water. Whether it was the pain shooting through his body or the lack of oxygen he was getting while being submerged Sesshomaru could only stay conscious for a few more minutes before he succumb to the darkest that was beckoning him.

The demon lord came to hours later as the sky was dark and filled with stars when he woke, somehow he had gotten out of the pond and was laying on his back near the water's edge; when he gained his bearings the first thing he realized was that there was a slight weight on his left side. Sitting up slowly Sesshomaru felt a sensation he hadn't in three years; his left arm had returned, fully functional and ready to be used… and in his grasp was a brand new sword the dog had never seen before. Clutching the hilt tighter the blade pulsed several times matching the beats of his heart almost as if it was trying to speak to him; not wasting any more time sitting around Sesshomaru took off heading for the old demon smith's mountain home to get some information and possibly a sheath for his new blade.

* * *

"So let me get this straight, you nearly drowned yourself in a pond and somehow my pup helped you regrow your arm… while in the womb?" Inuyasha couldn't stop laughing when picturing his brother drowning in a small pond and then looking like a drowned rat when he was fished out.

"Inuyasha, stop it that's not nice. Sesshomaru could have really gotten hurt," Kagome knew the two brothers have not always seen eye to eye but deep down they did care for each other; she was sure Inuyasha would be upset if something happened to one of his last relatives.

"Keh, now that you got a new sword shouldn't you be out torturing some low level demons that are annoying you or something; or did you just come here to brag?" Inuyasha became bitter just thinking about his own sword no longer working for him, his brother did know about it and that was probably why he was rubbing it in his face.

"As I told you Otouto, I have come to see the pup," Sesshomaru turned to his pack sister to observe the tiny pup cuddling in her arms.

As if being able to sense that someone was staring at him Inu awoke from his slumber and began to wiggle in his mother's arms. Feeling the shifting made Kagome look down and smile at her infant, "Did you have a nice nap Inu-kun?"

Inu answered with an unexpected mix of both a yawn and tiny yip that left his small mouth, "Oh such a sleepy boy, you're probably hungry huh; let Mama finish getting supper ready and then we'll get the baby fed." Kagome bent to rub her nose against the pup's causing him to squeak in pleasure at getting attention from his mother he craved.

"You are aware that he is capable of understanding the human tongue you speak even now; there really is no point in speaking in such childish ways towards him… you look foolish," Sesshoamru had been observing the female and pup; it really was pitiful that the human couldn't understand when the pup spoke. The lord cringed when she began to speak to the pup in such a high voice, Rin had done that for a long time when she first travelled with him, and if it hurt his ears he was curious why the pup had not complained yet.

Inuyasha released a vicious growl when he saw his mate bowing her head in embarrassment, "Hey leave her alone Sesshomaru; if she wants to talk to the pup like that then she can… Inu don't mind anyway, he likes the attention." As if agreeing with his old man Inu gave a loud scream of excitement and began to kick his feet rapidly.

The older demon grew tired of the squealing pup and wished to get to the reason he came here; Sesshomaru cleared his throat to gain his brother's attention. Inuyasha's ears twitched and his whole body froze when his brother began to release low vibrations from his throat.

"Inuyasha, what's going on?" Kagome felt a low hum of demon aura brush passed her senses and then Inu stopped wiggling and started burying his body into her embrace. "What's wrong with Inu?"

"It's okay Kagome, the pup's fine… just give him to me and finish dinner," Inuyasha reached over for the boy not really giving her an option to argue.

Kagome glared at her mate's demand of her, never had he pulled the gender ranking card on her before; to think she would follow his order like a normal woman of this era and had over her clearly frightened baby to him he had another thing coming. But just before she was going to argue with him Inuyasha shot her a glare of his own and shook his head before releasing a growl that shocked her.

'_He just.. he just growled at me!' _Kagome turned to look at Sesshomaru to see that he was staring at both of them; it then clicked why Inuyasha was behaving this way towards her. Pack ranking, in dog packs females were normally racked higher than their male counterparts; except when it involved the alphas, yes Kagome herself was alpha female since Sesshomaru had no mate but both brothers still out ranked her.

Inuyasha allowed Kagome to defy him when they were around their friends because they were human and the dog demon could suppress his instinct because he knew that they knew he was still in charge. But around other dog demons, like his older brother and pack leader, Inuyasha would make Kagome submit to him or he could lose his position in the pack.

Seeing she wasn't going to get her way in this situation Kagome pulled Inu closer and gently nuzzled his soft cheek to calm him, "It's okay baby, Mama's going to be right here, and Papa won't let anything happen to you."

It took a few more seconds but Inu finally calmed and relaxed in her embraced; knowing her son was better now Kagome handed him over to his father, but not before giving Inuyasha a look that told him he was in serious trouble once his brother left.

Inuyasha's ears would have drooped had Sesshomaru not been present but as it was he couldn't show weakness; he carefully cradled his pup in his strong arms and when his mate went back to cooking their meal he turned and presented the boy to the leader of his clan. Inu knew when he was taken from his mother's arms and for a second he panicked but then feeling his father's strong scent fill his nose he knew he was safe; however, not wanting to be moved again he quickly stuck his claws into Inuyasha's kimono and buried his face into his father's chest.

Inuyasha gave a soft chuckle which turned into a halfhearted growl, "Calm down pup, your Kaasan was right I ain't going to let anything happen to ya," he was able to pull the baby's claws free and turn him to face Sesshomaru. "Sesshomaru-sama, Alpha, Oniisan… I, Beta, present to you my son and heir… Inu, for evaluation into the pack."

Kagome had never heard her mate speak so formally before, she knew he had some training since he was a prince in both worlds; but she was surprised that he could speak to his brother, a demon he hated for most of his life, with such respect… but then again she had never seen a pack initiation before either.

Inu wasn't ever one to focus on anything other than his mother, of course being a baby and not having very good control over his motor functions yet could have had something to do with it, but when Inuyasha had turned him to present him to this other demon he immediately stiffened up and forced his little head to stare at the big intimidating demon.

Sesshomaru had remained quiet throughout his brother's presentation and was rather sursprised himself that not one word of disrespect left his mouth. His focus then fell on the tiny pup in his arms, the first pup to be born in quite some time; but this one was different than the last offspring that he observed. This pup was his nephew and the heir to the west after his father, this pup needed to be stronger than all the others… and being a half demon wasn't helping his cause. His hatred for half breeds had not vanished even when his brother changed, he still believed they were weak; however, this half breed he already had a soft spot for the second their amber colored orbs locked.

The demon lord flared his aura for a minute to test the pup's reaction to his power; Inu immediately recognized the power embracing him as the same power that engulfed him when he was still in his mother's womb. Feeling threatened by his Uncle, Inu unleashed his own power in protection, his tiny fist began to glow and Sesshomaru's power immediately vanished from the room; the tiny pup sealed the lord's aura temporarily inside his body as to no longer be a threat to him.

No longer liking the stare-off Inu began to cry and whimper for his mother to save him. Kagome jumped up and raced over to get her child, not caring if her mate denied her because she would just sit him; luckily Inuyasha too didn't want his pup to be upset and quickly handed him over to his mother.

"Shh… it's okay Inu, Mama's here baby," Kagome got up and headed into the bedroom to calm the pup and get away from the men since she was angry they upset her son; this time Inuaysha's ears did fall slightly when she left knowing he would be getting yelled at when Sesshomaru left.

The lord of the west noticed both parents were so focused on the pup that they didn't see him test the damage out to his power that the baby caused, _'Even without his Okaasan's power to take from the pup is still strong.'_ Sesshomaru was relieved to already feel his power returning, "He was not gifted with Chichi's traits I see."

Inuyasha growled hearing his brother's comment, "He has his Kaasan's looks which I'm proud of; he won't be singled out growing up as a half demon like I was… he can blend in with the human children in the village."

"He is not meant in to blend in with common human offspring; his power is raw and will attract other demons, he needs to obtain control… something that will not happen here," Sesshomaru stood preparing to leave, what he came to do is now done.

"What's that supposed to mean Sesshomaru? Are you saying I am not capable of training my own son?"

"Both heirs to the west belong in the west; others will know of the pup's birth and that he is a half breed… they will come after him. And if he were at the palace protected you can resume your hunt for the humans that you have neglected," Sesshomaru didn't wait for a response and just left that thought in his younger brother's head.

Inuyasha remained in thought after the lord left, with the excitement of Inu's birth he had completely forgotten about Yukio and Masanori and the promise he made to Nobuo; now that Inu was born and both he and Kagome were okay he would have to leave soon to continue his hunt.

'_I will need to go find them soon but can I leave them alone while I go?'_ Inuyasha thought about what his future-self had done all his life; he didn't want to miss out on any moment in any of his pups' lives. Not to mention he didn't want to leave them in the hut alone, just the thought of the Amatsu-Mikaboshi attacking while he was away caused him to feel sick.

'_Is Sesshomaru right, should I move them to the western palace for protection?'_

* * *

In the most southern part of the country on a small isolated island resided a rather large port village. Many of the town folk were just ending their work day and returning to their homes for supper; a hut located on the far side of the village closest to the sea the main focus. The home belonged to the village's sole priest and his student, the pair arrived some months ago when the town was being attacked by a wind demon that resided off the coast; apparently the villagers upset the beast's nest when they travelled to the main land one day and then the giant bird like animal would attack and sink any boat in sight.

The people were seeking help and they just happened to stumble upon the priest who needed shelter for his ailing student; the villager agreed to build him a grand hut if he could rid them of the demon. They thought it odd that a priest wished for a hut to reside in when the town did have a temple that passer-by priests used for prayer; it was also strange that this holy man sent everyone away when he battled the demon, normally priests allowed those that lived close by to witness the purification.

But within the day they arrived the wind demon was gone and travelers were able to come and go from the island freely; the headman of the village ordered a grand hut on the edge of the town close to the coast be built to honor their guests and that was where the two have been ever since.

The priest that went by the name Daiki spent most of his time at the island's temple shrine or in his home; he rarely spoke to the town's people unless they asked something of him… he grew wise from the previous village he stayed in as to not trust anyone. Right at the moment the man was mixing up a paste that a few of the medicine women showed him how to make; there was a very good reason he chose this village as his home for the time being other than protection on all sides.

This town was very close to the continent and they traded frequently with the foreign people; in exchange for goods the people gained new forms of medicine and the experience to use them. There were several women in the village that have spent most of their lives creating different medicines with the rare herbs that grow on the island.

Daiki began to place the sticky paste on his student's bare, but much scarred, back; even after months of healing the angry red marks from the demon still shone brightly on the younger man's back. Hearing the boy give a low grunt of pain Daiki chastised him, "You must not be weak Arata, it has been months since the assault; you have to get stronger so we may continue our journey."

"The pain sensei… it feels as if the demon's claws are still in my back; I think the damn thing poisoned me Yukio-sama."

The priest suddenly slapped the man's tender back, causing him to cry out in pain, "I told you to not address me by that name again; the failure tied to that person cannot bring us down now that we are to regroup."

"I-I apologize… sensei… it must be the pain I am i-in to forget our rebirth."

"You do not blame pain for forgetfulness; if everything that pained me made me forget my goal the world would already be lost," Daiki resumed tending to the boy's back.

The biting sting of the paste as it covered the deep groves in Arata, Masanori's, back made him think to the reason he was in so much pain at this moment. In his mind and according to his sensei he did nothing wrong; the wolf demon had no right to attack him. _'The only solace I have is that there is no chance the creature could have survived Cheiko's attacks… I hope it's burning in the deepest pits of hell.'_ "Sensei, when we'll go back to the main land; we can't allow that demon to run wild… we must save my Kagome."

A deep glare came to Yukio, now Daiki's, face and he was half tempted to slap Arata's back again; but he decided the boy suffered enough for one day. He also realized there was no way he could change his student's mind about the demon's whore; he could see how love struck the younger man was and he understood what it felt like to be in love. A sad smile came to his face when he thought about his late wife but he pushed that thought away because thinking about his precious wife while thinking of ways to purify a very strong demon would tarnish her memory.

"We will not be returning for some time; you are still too weak and since the rest of our followers met their tragic deaths fighting those moth demons we need to have more join our cause. We are also out of strong sutra since that worthless woman used the last of them of the dog; we need another power source to draw from."

With his treatment finished Arata sat up carefully, not bothering to put on his haori since the medicine needed to dry, he turned his back to face the open shoji and let the fresh sea breeze caress his injured body. "But can't you use your power Sensei? You are a very strong priest; I mean you destroyed the demon that was plaguing this village… what can you not do?"

"The power needed to stop the dog demon and those in the west will require far more power than I have," Daiki didn't mention that he actually didn't destroying the bird demon from the coast, he merely dosed it with a heavy sleeping power that put it in a coma like state; every few days he goes to the nest and drops more so the bird won't wake up. "Now listen while I was at the temple for daily prayer on the southern part of the island I noticed another far older temple heavily guarded with spiritual seals."

"Were you able to gain access Sensei?"

"No, but I asked the headman to enlighten me and I found out that there resides deep within the temple a shrine with a living Buddha."

"A living Buddha? But Sensei we follow different kami the religion from the continent should not be messed with," Arata felt extremely uncomfortable with the notion that his Sensei was thinking of using something that wasn't gifted to them by the kami.

"It doesn't matter where the power to stop the demons comes as long as it is in our grasp; the power residing within that shrine is extremely potent and if we obtain it surely we will gain many followers."

"But Sensei, if we take the Buddha won't the villagers be angry and banish us from the town… we won't gain any loyal followers here," Arata didn't want to lose the nice home they were giving, having spent the last few years on the road, and what he has suffered just this past spring, this was a paradise to him.

"We won't be acquiring anyone here; the people of our home lands are no longer loyal to the kami, too many are lying with demons. When you have healed we will take the Buddha and head for the continent; they will embrace us and join us willing to stop the demon infestation on the main land… we will be unstoppable."

"Unstoppable… so we will be able to overpower the dog and rescue Kagome," just the thought of seeing the woman he loved made Arata's spirits' rise and his will to heal get stronger.

'_Yes we'll be unstoppable and the dog will parish along with everyone that sides with him… including that whore of a woman.'_

* * *

**Note: I'm back! I'm giving an excuse as to why I didn't update in like 4 months because the reasons were valid. **

**June- I moved this story and 'Seeking Power' to my new blog site and so I was rereading and mixing mistakes in both stories the whole time; I was going to leave this site but decided to stay but I will be using both sites. I will put up the other site on my homepage here so if you want to stop by. **

**July- In the early part of the month I hurt my back and couldn't really do much for about two weeks because of the pain; the second half of the month I was at the beach with no computer access.**

**August- It's been a tough month so far, my Aunt passed away suddenly on the 7th and my family has been trying to get through losing her and I wasn't raelly in the mood to write at the time.**

**So that's the last three months in a nutshell; but before everything that happened in the last two weeks I was writing all this, that's why it's so long and I can't really go into detail about everything in the chapter because I don't remember most of the beginning because it was written back in June. It's also RAW because I didn't have time to reread the whole thing to check for spelling errors; I'll look it over some time later in the week.**

**Thanks to:  
**Everyone that review the AU and Chapter 31; thank you all! The next chapter I'll put everyone individually again... keep it up!


	33. A plan in the making

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

Yomi… hell, whatever you call the plane after ones' life is complete is not a pleasant place. This was the home of the demons of old, the ones that were once powerful creatures yet now no longer have a physical form; other demons that were much younger and still had their own bodies milled around along with their ancestors.

For them this was the end of the line, once a demon was banished from the earthly plane the only possible way to return would be to beg their creature for a second chance. Most never even bothered to try because Amatsu-Mikaboshi was extremely hard to please; a demon would have to endure many grueling hardships just to please the kami, and even if the tasks were complete he may not grant the request… so most didn't try. But it wasn't all that bad for them, the kami that ruled this plane were fair and allowed most to do as they pleased; many of the demons had even set up small villages like those a human would create… so for a demon Yomi wasn't too bad.

Now for a human soul it was a much different story, since Amatsu-Mikaboshi hated the servants he lost he wished for them to suffer while in his world. Sending demons to the earthly plane was meant to taint the humans' soul and prevent them from reaching Takama-no-Hara and coming to Yomi instead; while there Amatsu-Mikaboshi would torture the soul so it would remain tainted in its next life as well. You see the human soul has many chances to reach Takama-no-Hara with each of its rebirths; however, they have just as many chances to fall into darkness as well, the choice is given to the soul through its different life cycles. Some resist the dark temptations and reach Takama-no-Hara faster than others; and yet there are those that welcome the darkness… those fall into Amatsu-Mikaboshi's clutches more easily.

Once the soul comes to Yomi and is completely tainted it can no longer be reincarnated and remains there; if the kami is no longer interested in the soul it would be tortured and finally eaten by one or many of the shadow demons among the plane. But there were a few, like the human bandit that became known as Naraku, that kept the kami entertained and those he kept for specific reasons for a later time… his 'collection' was small but continued to grow. And the latest being to gain the kami's attention was one that he created himself and yet could not collect yet. "I do not understand, how is it possible for one I have created to refuse its destined fate!?"

In the heart of Yomi a large _shiro _was carved into the side of a mountain just outside of the largest village in the plane; this particular village rest along the lake where the Samara continuously rotated bringing the souls of those back to the earthly plane for their next life cycle. Amatsu-Mikaboshi hated that wheel because with every rotation meant he lost another soul to the earthly plane again. Oh how he hated that wheel, he wished he could stop the spinning but sadly that was out of his reach as it would upset all balance. Being unable to do as he wished and his current trip to the earthly plane a complete failure, the kami of evil was currently pacing angrily in the main room of the palace venting his confusion to no one in particular… not that he would care anyway.

"Must you do this here, I wished for peace and yet you stand here complaining about your own creation being too strong; you have apparently lost control and I grow tired of it." On the other end of the large room resting on an enormous floor pillow sat the owner of the home and the ruler of the plane. Izanami-no-Mikoto, the kami of death, was not pleased when one of her lesser gods stormed into her sitting room as if he owned the vast estate.

Despite how the myths described her, practically a rotting corpse with maggots eating away at her flesh, Izanami was actually a gorgeous woman that looked to only be in her late thirties… hey, she was a kami and can make her appearance anything she chose. Gracefully lounging atop the large pillow Izanami's long onyx hair flowed around her like a black sea; several small imp like demons were at her side combing through her always tangle free locks. And despite her small stature her temper was not one to be messed with; and so for Amatsu-Mikaboshi barged into her home he was messing with fire at the moment.

"Lost control? I have given my creation no more power than any other I have created; he should bend easily to my will just as any other demon on that plane." Much like Izanami, Amatsu didn't like her as well, she was one of the main reasons that he wasn't able to have as many souls as he wished; she too didn't like humans but unlike Amatsu she didn't want them in her world. The faster they came through and went the better; so both kami that resided in this world didn't get along very well.

"Then why did he disobey your orders, and attack you as well… that was quite funny when he impaled you with your own sword," Izanami shifted in her sit causing her loose kimono to open a little more; she waived the imps away from herself and began to laugh when the sneer came to his face. "Amatsu-Mikaboshi, you act like one of yours beasts when you're angry… it is not pleasing to see nor wanted," her cheerful expression quickly changed to that of one who was more annoyed than angry; then she turned and left the room no longer amused by him.

Amatsu growled low in his throat at her snide remark but didn't snap anything back, she wasn't worth his time and he had to figure out how to overpower the little monster he created.

* * *

Deeper within the mountain Amatsu's own lair resided, when creating new and powerful demons he liked to work in silence and seclusion. The cave he lived in was very large to accommodate for his rather big form, there wasn't much within the dwelling other than a large fire pit, and a few pieces of cloth that could possibly make up some sort of a nest… not like the kami slept anyway. There was one other item that didn't seem to fit in the cave, a small rock pillar stood at the other end of the room; and atop it floated a small white glowing orb admitting small pulses of energy.

Amatsu went over to the sphere and observed it, for it was no ordinary glowing ball, no this orb allowed him to see into the earthly plane without actually travelling there… and at this moment there was only one being he wished to see.

"How… how could he, an offspring of my own creation, overpower me… it just cannot be possible." As Amatsu pondered this at the entrance of his cave a flash of light lit the room and another growl left his lips. "What are you doing here Amaterasu?" It was common curtsy to face those that you are speaking too however Amatsu remained staring at the orb… he was never one to be respectful, even to his fellow kami, anyway.

"You seem troubled Amatsu-Mikaboshi, I can sense your tension even from the heavens… is there a problem?" A rather tall woman, with a golden like halo around her head emerged from the light; a peaceful yet coy smile was placed on her rosy red lips.

"It does not concern the likes of you, Amaterasu; leave my cave before I make you."

Amaterasu did not head her fellow kami's order and instead walked farther into the cave approaching his side to stare at the orb his gaze was fixed on. "You are obsessed with a mere child… this is not like you."

Amatsu gripped the pillar tightly nearly cracking it with his strength, "Obsession is not a trait that effects those like us Amaterasu, and this will be the last time I will repeat myself… leave now," Amatsu released his power summoning several of his shadow demons.

"You cannot force this particular babe to do your bidding like the others; trying to do so will only be your own downfall," Amaterasu turned and headed back towards the entrance but not before being stopped by the very kami that wanted her gone.

"How are you sure of this, the child is mine, he may refuse now but when he ages and the demon half grows stronger I will be able to turn him."

A soft chuckle left the beautiful kami's mouth, "Your ego is bigger than your physical form Amatsu-Mikaboshi and it will cause the end of you… even now you don't see what has happened to your powerful creation."

"What are you speaking of Amaterasu?" This time the larger male kami turned to his female counterpart.

"You said it yourself, when his demon _half_ comes to age, meaning he has more in him than just what you created."

Realization suddenly clicked in Amatsu's head and he released a mighty roar that shook the whole cave, "You! It was you that tempered with my creation!? Why, what right did you have; the boy is of demon blood… my blood."

"His father is a beast of your body yes but his mother is a child of mine which gives me the right to bless the babe with my own power."

"Do you have any idea what you have done? The combined power that was given to him; his being will upset the balance… he may be even more powerful than any kami," Amatsu was angered that his theory was confirmed and there was no possible way he could overpower the child.

Amaterasu merely smiled at her fellow kami's rage, "It matters not to me how powerful he becomes and yet you seem disturbed in the knowledge."

"Yes because of your interference the perfect vessel to do my bidding on the earthly plane has become too powerful and will not obey me!" Amatsu's roar shook the cave again causing a few medium sized rocks to fall from the ceiling.

"As I've said he was never yours to being with, and as such he will be protected by both worlds."

"What are you saying Amaterasu?"

Suddenly the once gentle presence that surrounded the heavenly kami vanished as a sharp glare and a frown marred her kind face, "If you dare go after the child or his mother, that is under my protection, you will face my wrath," and with her threat given Amaterasu snapped her fingers and once again vanished in the bright light she first arrived in.

Momentarily surprised by her cold tone Amatsu quickly snapped back to his enraged manner, which included him having a mild temper tantrum and throwing several of the loose boulders around the cave.

"That insolent wench! How dare she!"

"Could you please compose yourself, this mindless screaming is annoying," the viper like hiss that came from the cave's entrance drew the kami's attention.

"What I do in my own cave should be of no concern to you Izanami."

"Watch your tongue Amatsu-Mikaboshi; do not forget whose plane this really is and who can feed you to your own demons."

Amatsu bit the inside of his cheek knowing she would keep to her threat should he anger her; one of the downs of being a kami created from another you could never overpower your creator. "What are you doing here my lady?"

Izanami didn't miss how insincere his words were and planned to punish him for it later… but for now, "I felt Amaterasu enter this plane not too long ago… what did she want?"

It wasn't any secret that the kami of the dead despised the kami of the sun, light and dark never did get along; but the mere fact that Amaterasu was born of Izanagi and one of his favorite children never sat well with his forgotten lover.

Normally Amatsu wouldn't reveal his dealings with anyone, his business was his and his alone; but Amaterasu tampered with one of his creations and he wanted revenge. "She came to tell me why the latest demon I created is disobeying me."

"And I am to assume, by the destruction, that her news was not beneficial to you? Well that is no surprise really since anything those up there do is only for them."

"Is there a reason, other than to mock me, that you have come here; it's not like you to leave your comfortable palace to visit… if you wanted to know what we spoke of you could have waited until I visited again," Amatsu moved back over tot eh orb, no longer focused on the baby he was no watching one of his boar demons destroying a human village.

"I was merely passing by and heard her threat to you, interfering in something that clearly does not involve her… she has obviously been milling in the clouds for too long."

"It doesn't matter what she has been doing, what is done is done; the offspring of the dog demon is too powerful for me to force control over,"Amatsu spat bitterly.

"That may be true but that doesn't mean you still can't control him," that wicked smile came to Izanami's face.

"How so? I can't touch the miko or risk Amaterasu and who knows who else's wrath; those two brothers of hers are rather troublesome," Amatsu was interested in the other kami's proposal.

"You leave Amaterasu and those _others_ to me; but in the meantime… the child's sire is your possession and therefore can bend him to your will yes?"

For the first time in several hours a wide Cheshire cat smile spread wide on Amatsu's large face, "Why yes… you're right about that; if I can't touch the miko to get to the child then his demon sire will do just fine."

* * *

"Hm… I don't see how you do it Sango, raising two little girls, keeping your home spotless and looking flawless all at the same time."

"Oh Kagome, stop please, I'm not flawless and believe me if you saw the girls room… it's not a pretty sight."

Both women from Inuyasha's pack were currently sitting in Sango's hut cleaning up the dishes from lunch while the twins sat in the corner playing with toys.

"But still at least you're able to control the girls and calm their fits without something in your hut exploding," Kagome was sitting by the wash bin drying the bowls her friend had been cleaning.

"Kagome, you have to remember my girls don't have special powers like Inu does… I think you've done a great job," Sango knew her best friend was a little stressed and she was trying to give her a little encouragement, but just by looking at Kagome's expression obviously it wasn't working.

The last time we saw our friends Sesshomaru had just afford Inuyasha a place to keep his mate and pup safe while he went in search of Yukio; well that plan didn't work out very well when Kagome discovered the brothers' plan.

"You want to what!? Inuyasha, you can't possibly be serious about this."

"Well… it does seem like a safe plan; the two of you would be safer at the palace."

"You're joking right, did you forget the last time I went to the castle… I was nearly killed by all the servants and guards."

"Keh that was only because you were wearing this stupid jeans from the future; I told you if they could have smelled your scent they wouldn't have attacked." Inuyasha then went into a lengthy explanation as to why it was beneficial that they stay at the western palace; but the glare Kagome shot at him shut him up immediately and that was the last time they spoke about leaving the village.

Though Kagome refused to abandon her home and friends Inuyasha had to return to his search of the corrupt priest; he wasn't happy about leaving his mate and pup unprotected but Sesshomaru kept returning to bug him to get back to the hunt… so he had no choice but to go. He remained on the hunt up until the winter months; he didn't want to be stuck in the cold weather away from his family so just after the twins first birthday he returned to stay in the village till spring.

That particular winter was rather harsh for Kaede's village, a lot of snow and several of the older villagers became sick; the biggest scare happened in mid-winter when Kaede herself fell sick. With their miko ill many of the towns' people began to panic; both Kagome and Sango took turns caring for the old woman along with Rin, who was fearful that she would lose her care giver. Luckily the illness left Kaede rather quickly and she servived the season; but this was a wakeup call for the group that they were very close to losing a dear friend… Inuyasha even revealed a few days later that he was sure they were going to lose her that year.

For herself Kaede was aware of her mortality and decided she needed to get her affairs in order if she were to leave this world soon. The first thing on her list to take care of would be to find an apprentice; however, her age would prevent her from training a young girl properly. Her first choice would have been Kagome, with the year the group was chasing Naraku Kagome became very knowledgeable in herbs; and of course her natural talent with spiritual power would have made her the ideal student… but sadly it wasn't meant to be. Kaede had asked Kagome a while back if she would be interested in training to be the next miko of the village.

"What? The… the village priestess? But Kaede-sama, how is that possible since… well since Inuyasha and I-."

"Kagome and I have shared a bed Baba… she can't be a full priestess."

Yup Inuyasha was present during that meeting and embarrassed the hell out of his mate. Kaede went on to explain that not all priestesses stayed pure their whole lives and the villagers wouldn't mind if she wasn't. Inuyasha watched as the light dimmed in his mate's eyes, he knew Kagome didn't want the job but she was too kind to turn down the older woman… so he did it for her.

"Kagome ain't going to be a priestess… with all the pups we're going to have she will be pretty busy around the hut." His words were a little sexist but it got Kaede to back off his mate.

The next choice would be Rin, she had been living with Kaede for the last three years and was learning a lot of things from the priestess; the only down side was the child showed no spiritual power at all so protecting the village should a demon attack would be difficult. But Kaede was never able to ask her because of a certain demon lord that appeared just before Kagome gave birth and revealed something that she was not to repeat to anyone… but this information took Rin out of the running.

There were no other girls in the village that would have enough time to be trained to take over the position so Kaede sent out several scrolls to the nearest towns that would have a shrine with many priestesses… hoping one would be able to send a miko-in-training to take Kaede's place.

* * *

Winter melted into spring which meant Inuyasha would have to go out once again, well that only lasted about a week and then he returned home… turns out Sesshomaru tracked down his brother and called off the search. It would seem the lord had spies in many lands and the ones closest to the southern tip of the country sent word that the two humans had slipped on to a ship heading for the continent sometime ago.

Though Inuyasha wasn't convinced, and he was certain they would return, he was pleased he could return to Kagome and the pup; but that peace didn't last long when Miroku got wind that his friend was free of his duty… he bugged the hell out of Inuyasha to start back up on their demon exterminations.

"Oh come on my friend think of all the money."

"I thought you started this business to help villages not fill your pockets monk?"

Miroku had cornered the dog demon while the two were watching their kids while the girls were taking a spa day… whatever that might mean because Inuyasha had no idea what it was.

"Well of course we're there to help the villages but it's nice to get compensation when they can afford it; you should be thinking about it too my friend since you now have a son to care for." Inuyasha always hated when his pup was brought into a conversation because he would always cave… and that's how the two got back into exterminating demons once again.

Many months have passed since then and the men have been coming and going all the time leaving Sango and Kagome to take care of the children… which brings us to why Kagome was so stressed.

Gradually over the last nearly two years Inu has grown from a squirmy, giggling new born to a shy though somewhat aggressive toddler. Like Kagome hoped he didn't grow like a demon child would, no he seemed to take on more human growth qualities than that of his father; but his mother didn't mind, no she would care for her baby for her whole life… but she could use a little help every now and then.

Sango was right about her friend having a harder time taking care of one gifted child compared to the twins. Everything was fine until a little after Inu turned one, while he was out with his mother in the village he was like a second skin to her; Kagome didn't mind that he was so clingy and she would give him all the comfort he needed… but sometimes it was a little extreme. Inuyasha had explained to her that even though he was over a year old his instincts told him to stay close to his mother if they were away from their den; Kagome understood but sometimes when they were in the village and a person that Inu was fearful of would approach he would try and bury himself into his mother's chest it was rather embarrassing.

There were also times when Kagome would be out picking herbs for Kaede and a young man would approach wanting to speak with her; but Inu within a minute would scare the man off with a soft, though very vicious growl, Kagome noticed as the pup grew he was becoming very aggressive towards any male that wasn't his father of Miroku; when she told her mate Inuyasha was pleased with the boy, telling his mate that the pup was protecting her from perverted village men that found her attractive and thought they could flirt with her when he wasn't in the village. Well, all of this was just happening outside of the hut… behind the closed door of their home the small boy was a completely different being.

It all happened one day when Inu had gotten upset over something, to this day Kagome still didn't know what it was, and during his fit he summoned a small amount of his power causing a bowl to fly across the room and explode against the wall; no one was hurt but it did shock both mother and son. Well Inu, being the smart little demon he was, realized quickly that he was the one to move the bowl and now every time he became upset or didn't agree with something his mother said, which wasn't often but did happen, he would tap into his gift.

Kagome didn't mind that her baby would get upset some times, it was bound to happen as he became older and more independent; however, she was hoping it would have been a few more years before he reactivated his powers. She could handle when he would use them, because he wouldn't hurt her and would only use them to get her attention, but she was fearful even the small spark of his power would attract a demon to the village… so most of the last few months the young mother was battle with herself on what she should do amount the issue.

"You only see him outside of our hut, quiet and clinging to me all the time; he's a completely different baby when he's home alone with me." Kagome placed the last bowl that she was drying next to the others; a slight pinch at her side drew her attention to her son who was once again cuddling into her hip.

Like every time they visited Sango and the girls, Inu would be invited to play with the twins but would decline and remain close to his mother; Kagome knew it was because of his dog instincts that he felt uncomfortable without his mother's presence and so she didn't push him to go play. Of course the girls, being two, noticed when their younger cousin was present but didn't want to play with them; at first they were very upset but their mother explained that Inu was a little boy and probably didn't want to play dollies with them… now they don't even bother to ask him to play, though he is more than welcome should he wish to.

"Well if he is being unreasonable, like using his powers when he's not supposed to, then you must reprimand him appropriately as you are his mother; you must show that he is not the one to make decisions," Sango picked up the dishes and move them over to the chest on the other side of the room; it was a good thing she was so far away that she missed Inu's reaction to her words.

Inu may still be a baby but he had a pretty good grasp of the human language, listening to but not speaking it, so when his aunt basically said he needed to be punished for acting out he wasn't too pleased; Kagome was shocked when she heard the soft growling from her son, she quickly put her finger to his lips to quiet him when Sango returned.

"Sango, I don't think I can punish him like that, he can't be blamed for his gift that Inuyasha and I gave him; and besides I'm pretty sure putting him in timeout is moot since he can just bring his toys to him telepathically," Kagome could already picture that headache happening.

Sango understood her friend's hesitation with the idea of reprimanding her child; she herself too, at first, didn't like the idea of punishment but when Takara started pulling Aki's hair she had no choice. Now when either one of the girls fought, pulled hair, screamed for no reason, or stole a toy from the other the perpetrator would have to spend at least twenty minutes in the time out corner with no toys to play with.

"Kagome, with how many children you're going to have you need to get tough and control them. But maybe there's some sort of demon way to do that that Inuyasha would know about."

Kagome's warning to her son about growling was soon ignored as Inu pushed her hand away from his mouth; hearing a deeper, more Inyasha like, growl leave him caused Kagome to pull the pup to her chest hoping to calm him. "Yeah maybe Inuyasha would know." She felt Inu relax into her body, and was pretty sure she heard a soft whimper as he buried his head into her chest; knowing he was upset about having to bring his father into the issue Kagome gently stroked his head.

* * *

And speaking of the older dog demon, both Inuyasha and Miroku were currently on their way back to the village after their latest mission.

"You see my friend, wasn't it wise to ask for additional help with all our supplies? It was just very fortunate that those villagers had the extra cart available."

"Keh, I still don't see why you need all of this stuff, half of the food will probably good bad before you can use it."

"Ah but you it's not all for us to use, no we will sell some and make a better profit to save when we go on our next trip to the market; you know… this cart is rather full, I could use some help," Miroku was currently pulling the two wheeled cart down the road while Inuyasha slowly trailed beside him.

"I bet you could, but I told you when we arrived at that town that what you wanted as payment you would be carrying back home… I'm done being a mule," Inuyasha didn't bother to hide his smirk as he watched his friend slowly make progress; the demon had only asked for a few things that were neatly wrapped in a package tied to his back… so for once on their journeys he was quite comfortable.

"But Inuyasha, you know that you are the stronger of the two of us; pulling this cart would be nothing for you. And you know I am getting quite old; I'm not that young, spry boy I once was."

"Feh, you ain't that old monk, I'm over four times your age," Inuyasha didn't even bother to talk about the cart issue but it didn't matter how much begging Miroku did because he was not going anywhere near that thing.

Knowing the demon was too stubborn to be able to change his mind Miroku decided to pass the time with a livelier topic of conversation. "So… you and Kagome thinking about having another child soon?"

Miroku's question caused Inuyasha to falter in his steps, "W-What!? What kind of question if that Miroku, we just had Inu."

"You're son will be two this coming summer, didn't you tell me a while ago that Koga was on his fifth child now?"

Inuyasha chuckled when thinking about the wolf demon, it was true that not but a month ago he had bumped into the other man while on a routine run in his territory; Koga had been visiting the eastern wolf clan when he crossed paths with his once rival and boy did he have a lot to brag about. Turns out over the past two years the northern clan had an influx of births and the clan had to expand their grounds covering most of the old caves scattered about the mountains; Inuyasha made a mental note that neither Kagome nor he would be visiting that territory anytime soon.

Well when the dog demon came back to focusing on what his friend was saying apparently Koga was telling him about his cubs. Inuyasha was a little surprised to find out that Ayame had given birth twice more since last seeing her; a burst of laughter did leave Inuyasha when Koga told him that the two newest pups were both female… with a total of five female pups to look after the leader of the wolf tribe had his hands full.

"Wow, five daughters, no wonder Koga hasn't visited as often; but just the thought of your once rival for Kagome's' heart having so many children wouldn't that put pressure on you to perform?"

"Feh, I ain't pressured because of Koga breeding so often; he needs to have a lot of pups to repopulate the wolf demon tribe," Inuyasha understood why Koga was doing what he was doing… it was instinct, bred in for centuries. Females were there for birthing and caring for pups and if your race was nearly extinct do to one twisted demon you would reproduce as often as you can. "But he could slow down a bit, breeding as often as he is is only hurting his family, the female isn't getting a break from being pupped and the pups he has aren't getting all his attention as they should."

"Yes I know what you mean, even though I only two with how often we have to leave I sometimes feel that I'm not giving the girls enough attention," Miroku kicked a stone out of his path so it wouldn't jostle the cart when he passed by it.

"Yeah you're telling me… with all the travelling I've done since Kagome and I became mates we're lucky Inu was born at all; talking about being under pressure, do you know how hard it is for me to lay with Kagome without wondering if that time we should be conceiving a pup?"

Miroku tried to hide his smirk but it was just in his pervy nature that he couldn't, "I could never imagine that type of pressure my friend, to know how many children you should be having without an actual time or date would probably hinder my performance as well."

"Keh, knowing you monk, you'd bed your woman everyday just to make sure your pups were born on time… or earlier."

"Yeah well look what I have to compete with… six children you're going to have… six! Talk about pressure, and I don't mean to brag but… I'm surprised Sango isn't already expecting once again."

"Well I guess you got your wish monk since just before we left I could smell a change in her scent… she' breeding again." Inuyasha was luckily walking close enough to the cart that when Miroku passed out from his news he simply lifted him off the ground, threw him in the wagon with all his stuff and towed the cart the rest of the way to the village… once again he was a pack mule not by choice.

* * *

**Note: I'm back! Yes it's been nearly six months since the last update for this story, I apologize a lot has happened to me in that time but I'm not going to go into detail. All you need to know is that the muse has come back to the story... this chapter wasn't that great for me but I got it out. **

**A lot happened in this chapter because it was a time skipping one, spanning from after the week Inu was born to just about two months before his second birthday. That's all I got for this... if anyone has any questions don't be scared to ask. This is a rough draft so there maybe spelling errors that I will fix tomorrow morning.**

**Thanks to:  
**Kaggy-Higgs88  
Scatterheart Angel  
wizzerl  
BugBite14  
Surfy  
S0me18skittles  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
edasama  
KairiAngel13  
Ldsprincess  
**For reviewing... love'em, keep it up!**


	34. Natsumi: Kaede's new apprentice

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

"W-What!? I'm what?"

"Oh Sango, isn't that great news!?"

Both women were quite shocked later that day when Inuyasha came into the hut with Miroku over his shoulder; they were worried something happened on their trip but the dog demon quickly calmed them down by saying that he just fainted.

That of course opened him up for questions by his mate, "He fainted? Well what happened Inuyasha, was the demon very strong... is Miroku under some kind of spell?" Kagome was worried for her friend, but she could barely keep from laughing when the twins noticed their father lying on the floor; both girls walked over and tried to wake him up by tapping him on the head.

"Nah, it wasn't any demon... he was just a little shocked by some news I told while on the way home," Inuyasha smiled when he spotted his pup cuddling at his mother's side. Inu, the minute his father began to speak, went over to him and wanted to be held; Inuyasha, never one to deny the child anything pulled him up on to his chest. The pup released a deep sigh of relaxation once in his father's strong arms, he burred his face into Inuyasha's neck and drifted off into a light sleep; Inuyasha, feeling his pup's contentment, released a low purr to please the child.

Kagome smiled seeing her two most favorite men bonding, "Wait... Inuyasha, what did you tell him that caused this?"

"I just told him that Sango was pupped again... no big deal really." Inuyasha didn't think it was that important, the slayer had already successfully given birth to twins and survived herself... there wasn't really much else she could do that would impress him.

Though Inuyasha was more focused on his pup both girls were swept up in the news he had just revealed to them, "Oh Sango, I can't believe it, you're going to have another baby!"

"Yeah... I guess I am," Sango placed a hand to her belly still not believing it, but she knew Inuyasha's nose was a lot more sensitive than anyone's else's; he would be the first to know and he wouldn't lie about something that serious.

"Sango, are you okay?" You are happy that you're pregnant yes?" Kagome could hear the sadness in her friend's voice and immediately thought she didn't want to be with child.

"Yes, yes of course I'm happy... but I'm also worried; the girls are still so young and need me. What if I can't focus on them when this new baby comes?"

"Well you have Miroku to help you, I'm sure Inuyasha can keep him in the village yes?" Kagome's question wasn't really a question at all and her mate knew this, and he knew if he were to have any 'fun' tonight after Inu was asleep that he would agree without argument. "See Sango, everything will be okay... don't worry."

It was at this time that Miroku came to, he was a little disoriented and took a few minutes to find out where he was, but when he spotted his wife he jumped up and went to her side remembering what his friend told him on the way home. "Sango, my love, Inuyasha informed me that you are with child again... is this true?"

"Oi! What do you mean 'is it true'? You don't believe me monk!?" Inuyasha's notoriously short temper snapped and he was about to hit the other man again had Kagome not stopped him.

"I don't distrust your judgment my friend I just wanted to know if Sango was already aware of her condition or not."

"Are you saying I would hide something that big from you?" Sango's fear quickly turned to rage and Miroku knew he was treading on thin ice.

"No, no my love of course not; I just thought that if you were taking all this on by yourself that you didn't need to and that I would help out more around here."

The lovely moment between the couple was quickly ruined by Inuyasha's snort, "Keh, you don't really have a choice monk, Kagome curbed all long trips outside of the village while Sango's pupped... not that I'm complaining or anything," the dog demon's ears lowered when he sensed his mate's glare on him.

* * *

Once both wives were satisfied, and Miroku was not rendered unconscious or Inuyasha cratered into the floor by a sit command, the girls went to work on dinner while the men took the children outside to play.

"I just still can't believe it... Sango will be giving me another child; it seems like just last moon that the twins were born."

"I don't know why you're so surprised Miroku, the both of you are worse than rabbits breeding... I'm surprised you're only on your third. Just think if the both of you were demon you'd be giving Koga a challenge."

Both men sat a few yards away from Miroku's hut under the shade of a tree that was blocking the mid afternoon sun. The twins had wanted to go run around but with the men returning from the fields for dinner Miroku thought it would be wise to keep them close so they were not trampled; the girls were disappointed they couldn't explore but were easily distracted by their toys and their doggy-uncle. Recently Aki had become rather fascinated with hair these last few months, her mother let her brush her hair every morning, and she was currently sitting by Inuyasha's side putting some braids in his long silver locks. Said man didn't really care what she was doing to keep herself busy; as long as she wasn't getting into trouble or bothering Inu, who was napping on his father's shoulder, she could do whatever she wanted to his hair.

"I don't think we would that many young ones so soon, maybe over several years, because I would like to watch them grow; no three is just fine for now."

"So what are you going to do give up your most enjoyed activity?" Inuyasha wasn't shy anymore about talking about sex, but he wasn't stupid enough to bluntly state the word in this conversation and have one of the children repeat it to their mothers once inside... Kagome would kill him.

"Whatever do you mean my good friend, why would I need to give that up?"

"Keh, you're a smart man Miroku, you know how pups are conceived and since you're only a human you wouldn't know when to avoid the days when Sango can get pupped; so how can you continue... 'breeding' without actually breeding a pup?" Inuyasha was quite curious as to how the other man was going to answer this one; but knowing Miroku and his perverted mind he had an answer for everything.

"Well if you must know while on my travels before joining up with your group I have heard tales from the continent of man's successful experimentation with sheep's intestine to prevent a woman from becoming with child. The last market day I even noticed a new stand that catered particularly to men selling both tortoise shells and different sizes of animal horns." A smirk came to Miroku face, ever since Inuyasha mated with Kagome he rarely became embarrassed by more sexually graphic topics the monk usually spoke of like during their travels years ago; upsetting the demon was one of his favorite things to do so he tried as often as he could to make the demon blush.

"What are you talking about... you mean condoms?"

This time it was Miroku's turn to be shocked and embarrassed, "W-What? What did you just call them?"

"Condoms, Kagome told me about them when we were in her time; of course we don't need them because I can smell when she is able to conceive... and we know she can only be pupped on the nights of the full moon."

Miroku could hear the bitterness in Inuyasha's words, he knew the demon wasn't angry with Kagome but merely the situation... but he too would be upset if he could only get Sango pregnant a few short days a year. "I'm surprised Kagome would share that information with you if it was unimportant; come to think of it women shouldn't know that information either... it still amazes me how advanced the time Kagome came from truly was."

"Yeah... I still ask myself if her world was so great then why did she chose me," Inuyasha shifted Inu to lay him on his chest, the pup was beginning to squirm meaning his nap was nearly over; perfect timing too seeing as dinner was almost finished.

"Kaede-sama, look Miroku and Inuyasha-sama have returned!" Rin's excited voice filled the air and drew both men from their conversation.

"Yes I see they have child, good afternoon to both of you; I trust your latest trip was a success?" Along with Rin, Kaede wasn't far behind followed by yet another young girl that was trailing farther behind the two.

"Ah yes it was a good trip Kaede-sama; as a matter of fact I have several bags of rice that I will be delivering to your hut tomorrow." Miroku opened his arms as Aki came running at him when the other women approached; she was still very shy around other people that weren't her aunts or uncles and Miroku was more than willing to comfort her.

"Why thank you for the generous gift Miroku, it will be put to good use," Kaede bowed respectfully towards the men which caused a sharp squeak to leave the strange girl's mouth.

"Ah my apologies, where are our manners, who is this lovely young lady with you Kaede-sama? I am certain I have not seen her around the village before," Miroku smiled gently toward the girl but all he got in return was a glare and a stiff upturned nose... apparently this girl was immune to the monk's charms.

"Indeed you have not Miroku, this is Natsumi-san and she has travelled all the way from Edo to begin training under myself as the next village miko," Kaede motioned for the young girl to approach but she remained rooted to her spot... clearly something irked her about this whole situation and Inuyasha had a feeling it had to do with him. Kaede too noticed the girl's hesitation, "Natsumi-san, do not be frightened, I have already spoken to you about those that live in this village."

"Yes I remember our conversation; but with all respect Kaede-sama, I shall remain where I stand thank you," the girl's voice was sharp and far beyond her years but something about it and her glare made Inuyasha's skin itch.

"Very well child but remember there will be many people you will have to tend to that you may not like; as a miko it is your job to help all those who seek it," Kaede's scolding tone caused the girl to frown.

"Kaede-sama, you said Natsumi-san will be training to become the new miko... are you ill?" Miroku released Aki when she spotted her sister playing with Rin; the twins were very competitive when it came to getting attention and that only got worse the older they got.

Inuyasha's ears perked up at the mention of sickness and his nose began to twitch trying to pick up any alarming signals that the old woman was near death; but he could only smell her normal scent with no illnesses attached... so if she wasn't sick what brought this on?

"Nay Miroku, I am not ill; however, with my sickness from last winter I am more aware that my time on this earth will be over soon. I sent a letter to the neighboring villages asking for a miko in training to come here; Fuji-sama, the head priestess in Edo sent Natsumi-san here to ease the burden," Kaede smiled but Inuyasha caught the frown that girl tried to hide by turning away from the group.

"I see well I hope Natsumi-san's training is successful but hopefully not needed for many more years and that you remain with us Kaede-sama," Miroku gave a small bow from his sitting position toward the old woman.

* * *

With farewells exchanged between the two groups Kaede and the two young girls returned to their tour of the village while Miroku and Inuyasha brought the children inside for dinner.

"Was someone outside just now; we heard a woman's voice," Sango was dishing out the rice and grilled fish to her guests and then her own family.

"Yes as a matter of fact, Kaede-sama had walked by with Rin and another young girl that we found to be her new apprentice."

"Apprentice? Why would she need an apprentice," Sango looked to her husband while cutting up the girls fish into child size bits for them.

"Apparently, Kaede-sama is aware of her mortality and is preparing us for her departure from our world... though we hope that isn't for many more years."

The three human adults in the hut became very solemn while thinking about their dear friend, it was very common for humans to become depressed when thinking about death and their own mortality; Inuyasha, being the only full blooded demon present, wasn't effected by the sadness in the room.

"Why are you all sad, ain't it a good thing she's thinking about the village... though her choice I think could have been better but if the kid is good for the town I ain't going to complain," Inuyasha said between shoving fish and rice into his mouth.

Kagome glared at her mate, "What do you mean 'she could have chosen better', what do you not like about the girl?" She wasn't yelling at him, more questioning why he would say that; Inuyasha was a good judge of character so if he sensed something off about this girl Kagome wanted to know.

"I don't know really, she didn't talk much but it was obvious she didn't like me with how she kept glaring in my direction."

"My friend you must remember she was not born in this village and therefore does not know you; just give it time," Miroku quickly separated the twins before Takara smacked her sister while trying to steal some of her rice; there were certain times during the day that he wished they weren't the same age. He loved both his daughters very much but looking over and seeing Inu quietly eating the food Kagome had placed in front of him Miroku really wished the girls were past toddler stage of life; looking over at his wife and remembering she was pregnant at that very moment he prayed really hard to Buddha that she wasn't carrying twins again.

Inuyasha and his family stayed at Miroku's hut long after sunset to celebrate the news of Sango's expecting. Once the children tired themselves out and the women put them to bed, Miroku pulled out a jug of sake for the adults. "Now my friends after such a wonderful meal, made by my lovely wife and Kagome, I say we should celebrate!"

"Miroku, don't be so loud you'll wake the children; and the whole village doesn't need to know our business," Sango hissed while trying to hide the blush that came to her cheeks.

"Keh, he wants to celebrate? A few hours ago he passed out on the road when I told him and now he wanted the whole village to know."

"Miroku, Sango can't drink that now that she's pregnant, it's not good for the baby. I really don't think he should be drinking either but I can't stop him," Kagome whispered the last part but Inuyasha still heard and chuckled.

"Well if she can't then you two, my friends, should enjoy our blessed moment!"

"Um... did you already have a few cups while we weren't looking Miroku?" Kagome turned down the drink afford to her, she was never a big drinker and she didn't want to have a hangover tomorrow. Inuyasha did take the cup and downed it easily, the human rice wine did nothing because of his demon blood; and it would be funny to see the monk get drunk on just a few cups.

And as predicted Miroku passed out after only two more drinks, Kagome made her mate take him to be for Sango; once the monk was tucked into bed Sango saw the family out.

"Congratulations again Sango, if you need anything please tell me."

"Of course Kagome... and thank you."

* * *

Being the early summer season the night was warm and so the couple decided to take a small walk around the village before returning home for the evening.

"I'm glad you'll be home more now, Miroku has been keeping you very busy and you haven't spent a lot of time with your son," Kagome batted her eyelashes while shifting Inu into a more comfortable position to hold him; the sleeping pup released a whimper at being jostled but quickly buried his face into his mother's neck and drifted to sleep again.

Inuyasha's ears drooped in guilt as he watched the interaction between mother and son, "I know I haven't been around much these last few months but now that the monk is grounded because of Sango's pup I will be around to help... has the pup been causing you trouble?"

"Not trouble per se... he's just been using his powers to get his way a little too often," Kagome felt horrible that she was ratting her baby out to his father; but she also knew she could never punish Inu like Sango said to do... with Inuyasha here he would be bad parent while Kagome could still cuddle her child.

"He's been using his powers, on you!?" Inuyasha became angry at the thought that his pup would hurt his own mother.

"No, no he hasn't been using them against me. He's just been levitating objects in the hut when he's having a fussy moment to get my attention... I've been running around a lot trying to prevent things from breaking or Inu himself getting hurt." Kagome could sense her mate's rage and tried to calm him while also trying to protect her pup.

"Keh, yeah well he has to stop that, he needs to learn to control his power and you can't let him get to you remember; you're his mother and I know you want to spoil him, like you did Shippo, but there are times where you have to be firm."

Kagome frowned at the scolding tone her mate took with her in regards to their child; he sounded just like Sango and she wasn't happy about it. "You think I'm being too easy on him? My mother never scolded Souta or me and I'm not going to do it with our children... I don't want them to resent us when they're older."

"They won't resent you mate, don't you remember when they were here they adored you and you weren't even their mother yet. You also have to remember mate that our pups are different than human children, Inu knows you're only trying to protect him and so he won't protest if you do scold him... trust me; but if you keep spoiling him he will get a lot worse because he knows you'll let him get away with it." Inuyasha wasn't trying to upset her but if they were going to stop Inu's uncontrollable fits they needed to be a united front with the boy.

"Inuyasha, I know he shouldn't be spoiled but... he's our first and for a while I thought I wasn't going to be able to have children, I just can't punish him."

Inuyasha gently raked his claw tipped fingers through her onyx hair to try and comfort her. "Mate, don't be upset by this, all dog demons treat their pups this way it's how they learn; I'll show you the proper way to discipline a pup and it won't hurt him at all... everything will be okay."

* * *

The next day was rather cool so the girls decided to take the children to the fields just beyond Inuyasha's forest; the twins were so excited to see so many flowers that they bolted the minute Sango put them down. Inu, still the shy pup around others, remained at Kagome's side where the other women were sitting close to the tree line; but the ever curious pup didn't remain there for long as a bright green grasshopper caught his golden gaze. Inu was torn between chasing the insect and staying close to his mother; he would take one stop toward the bug and then look back towards her to make sure she was still there.

Kagome, who was talking to Sango, couldn't help but smile when she saw her little boy becoming adventurous; she watched as he would look back to her every few minutes as he got farther away, "Inu, baby you can go play too... mommy will be right here when you come back." With her permission a big smile came to the boy's face and he bolted for the grasshopper, his hunting instincts taking full control of his body.

"Well that's a new development, yesterday he wouldn't even leave you alone for one minute and now he's off chasing bugs... what's change Kagome?" Sango was quite shocked to see her friend's little shadow leave with little hesitation.

But Kagome quickly waived off Sango's slight praise, "As much as I would love to say he's becoming braver, that's not the case; Inuyasha is up in that tree over there and that's why Inu is away from me, it's a demon thing, with his daddy so close he feels safe to wonder around," Kagome pointed to a tree a few yards away from where they were sitting and sure enough in a low branch Sango could spot the billowing white sleeves of his white kimono.

"Oh well... at least it's a start and he's having fun right?" Both women giggled at Sango's optimism.

Inuyasha too was enjoying the nice summer day, after returning from his latest trip with Miroku just yesterday, he had every intension to just lie around the hut and relax today. But with it being such a beautiful day the girls wanted to take the children to play in the fields on the other side of the forest; not wanting them to go alone and unprotected Inuyasha went with them.

Now said dog demon was relaxing in the shade of the tree but keeping a sharp eye on his family and friends. A smile came to his lips when he overheard the women's conversation and he became more alert now that his son was away from his mother. Pride swelled within Inuyasha when he watched his pup using his demonic instincts to track the bug... or so he thought because since he was still so young Inu wasn't really stalking his prey, no he was more just running towards the grasshopper and making it hop off. He was puzzled by the pup's behavior so he jumped down from the branch he was resting on and approached the boy. "Oi, pup what'cha doing... that ain't how you hunt."

Inu had just come crashing through the tall grass causing the insect to flutter off again, the child fell on his backside in the foliage and burst into laughter at seeing the tiny creature's reaction to his attack; but upon hearing his father's voice Inu sat up straighter and looked around for him.

Inuyasha crouched down next to the boy, causing Inu to first jump in surprise and then started giggling at seeing his father, to try and find out what the child thought was so funny about chasing a bug. Once Inu's fit of giggles ended he went about gibbering in a mix of both the human and dog demon language trying to explain what he was doing just now.

Inuyasha had trouble understanding some of what was said, mostly because it didn't make sense, and so he just nodded, "Uh yeah okay pup... look if you want to catch the grasshopper you must be quiet and patient; stay low to the ground and downwind of your prey... and then when you can see that they feel safe is when you-hey! Pup, what are you doing!?" When Inuyasha was explaining he began to approach the insect to show his point; but his demonstration was cut short just before he could grab the insect because Inu screamed and jumped for the grasshopper causing it to hop away again.

The women heard Inuyasha's shout and they both turned to see what happened; Kagome chuckled seeing how peeved her mate looked and how unaware her son was. "Inuyasha, he's too young to learn to hunt yet so you shouldn't get too upset if he doesn't listen to you." Kagome opened her arms when Inu came barreling over to her, apparently the grasshopper became uninteresting, she swept him up and started to shower kisses all over his face causing him to squeak in laughter and call for his father to help him.

"No way pup, you were the one that ran to her and you know how your mother is... I ain't saving you," Inuyasha smiled seeing his mate attack their boy with kisses; these scenes made him think back to when he was a pup with his own mother, most were sad memories but he still cherished the time he had with her.

"Hey Sango, we're all here... where's Miroku?" Kagome just realized that their usually pervy, not any how holy, monk friend was nowhere to be seen; she had only met up with Sango and the girls at the field so she didn't even know if he was back at the hut.

"Kaede-sama had asked for his help this morning at the shrine, I believe it had something to do with the new miko; he should be finished by now and may be back home resting," Sango ignored Inuyasha's snort when she mention that her husband may be resting; she was already aware that the demon wanted to do the same thing but he chose to come here with his family.

"Oh that was nice of him, I wonder if we will be introduced to Kaede-sama's apprentice... I am interested in meeting her."

"Why? She hardly said two words yesterday and I know she hates me," Inuyasha dropped down next to his mate and swiped up one of the onigiri she had brought for everyone to snack on.

"Inuyasha be nice, you don't know if she doesn't like you; she could just be very shy and didn't want to talk... you can be very intimidating sometimes even if you don't mean to," Kagome lightly patted his leg with a smile on her face.

"Ah there is my lovely family, and my dear friends as well, what a great day this is," Miroku's loud voice boomed into the field as he appeared from the dirt path yards away from the group.

"What are you so loud for monk… you didn't get into that sake again did you?"

"No of course not Inuyasha, I am merely happy about life and its many blessings to me… my beautiful wife, two darling daughters and another child on the way."

"Sango is something wrong with him?"

"I don't know Kagome; he didn't leave the hut like this."

While both women tried to figure out what was wrong with Miroku, Inuyasha bound over to the man and dragged him over towards the girls to try and stop him from shouting; the minute the dog demon grabbed his friend and took a whiff of his scent he knew exactly what happened.

"You've been telling the whole village about Sango being pupped haven't you monk? So how much did you drink?" Inuyasha could smell the alcohol coming from the other man, the amount was far more than Miroku could usually handle but since the villagers supply was normally watered down a little he could drink more without fainting.

"Oh Miroku, please tell me you didn't tell everyone," Sango's face went completely red with embarrassment just thinking about every villager staring at her belly for the next three seasons waiting for her baby to be born.

"Well of course not everyone my dear, just those that live close to us and a few of the women that were at the shrine this morning."

"Keh, in other words he told the men with the best sake and the gossipy group of women that hang out around the shrine to know everyone's business; that may only be a few people but just wait till this evening, everyone will know," Inuyasha rolled his eyes as he reached over and grabbed Miroku by the back of his robes to keep him from falling on his face into the grass.

"Inuyasha, don't say that," Kagome glared at her mate for upsetting their friend even farther.

"Well it's most likely true; you know those women will talk about anything… woman having a pup is big news around here especially with how Sango's last pregnancy went, they're just waiting for the fireworks to start again."

Kagome wasn't happy that Inuyasha missed the meaning behind her glare but she wasn't going to reprimand him again. "So Miroku, what did Kaede-sama need your help with?"

"Oh well our dear friend Kaede-sama asked that I show Natsumi-san where everything was placed in the shed by the shrine… since the poor dear hasn't been to the shrine in several moons and I moved some stuff around, I was the only one that could help the child."

"Oi monk, cut the crap with the endearments would'ya… it gets annoying."

Kagome decided that it would be pointless to ask any more questions to Miroku, mostly because he seemed to have fallen asleep sitting up, and he wasn't much help anyway; plus she was pretty sure Inuyasha would hit him if he began to speak again.

Looking down at her son Kagome smiled realizing that Inu had fallen asleep in her arms as well; chasing insects around sure was tiring for a toddler. "Well I think we should head back now; it seems Inu is ready for a nap," Kagome carefully stood trying not to wake her child.

At the mentioning of going home Inuyasha jumped up as well, "Bout time, I've been ready to leave for a while now."

"Well it wasn't really your decision what time we left now was it?" With the baby in her arms Kagome motioned with her head for Inuyasha to gather up their basket; Inuyasha didn't argue and just bent down to scoop up all their things. "And since you are so eager to leave I'm certain you wouldn't mind helping Sango by bring Miroku home for her since she has to carry the twins and he's pretty much passed out… I'll see you at home," with a beautiful smile Kagome snatched the basket up and walked off down the path back towards the village.

"Keh, what I say? Why's she so pissed?"

Sango felt bad for the demon, being mated to Kagome for nearly five years and he still didn't know when to keep his mouth shut; but she wasn't going to say anything since he was being so nice to bring her drunken husband home for her.

"He really needs to stop this… it's quite embarrassing having to drag him home like this," Sango tried to shield herself from the passing villagers and their staring as Inuyasha followed behind her with Miroku slung over his shoulder like a sack of rice.

"Yeah well you're not the one that has to carry him," Inuyasha was upset because halfway along their walk through the forest Miroku woke up and thought Sango was the one holding him; in his drunken stupor he copped a feel which angered Inuyasha and caused said demon to drop him on the ground knocking him out again.

"I apologize for his behavior Inuyasha… he get quite touchy while under the effects of alcohol."

Once the two sober adults and the twins slipped inside the hut to avoid any more odd glances from the town's people Inuyasha dropped Miroku on his bedding like the night before," Well he'll probably be out for a few more hours… I wouldn't bother waiting for him to start supper if I were you Sango."

"Don't worry about that, we were going over to Kohaku's for dinner anyway; thank you again for carrying him Inuyasha… I hope you're not in too much trouble with Kagome when you go home," Sango released the girls to go play with their dolls for a little while till they were to go over to her brother's hut for dinner.

"I bet she's already over it, but just to make sure I'll give her a little more time to cool off."

"Oh… what will you do while you wait? You're more than welcome to stay here if you'd like."

"Nah, I got something to do anyway that will take some time… and I probably should get going; tell that husband of yours to lay off the booze for a bit eh?" Inuyasha waived goodbye to Sango and the girls before leaving the hut.

* * *

Twenty minutes after leaving his friends home Inuyasha touched down in the court yard of the shrine a top the hill that over looked the village. With it being close to dinner time the area was deserted of villagers as they settled in for the night, which suited Inuyasha just fine because he preferred to be alone when making his visit.

Veering off from the main shrine the dog demon approached the tiny shrine that honored the late priestess of the village; Inuyasha placed the flowers he had just picked on the small stone alter in front of the monument by the burning incense.

"Hello Kikyo… it's been a while since the last time I visited."

Ever since the winter where Inuyasha found his mate nearly frozen in front of this grave marker he has made it a point to visit every few months; though he knows it's impossible Inuyasha still believes that Kikyo saved Kagome that night and he will forever be grateful for that.

And speaking of Kagome she is aware of his visits here, knowing how deep her relationship is with her mate she no longer feels threatened by Kikyo's ghost or memory replacing her in Inuyasha's heart; just knowing how accepting his woman is lets Inuyasha feel guilt free during his visits.

"I know you wouldn't approve of my tardiness, and probably wouldn't want to hear my excuses, but it's been a few crazy months." Inuyasha shifted from one black boot to the other, even though he's been visiting for a little over two years now he still felt a bit uncomfortable talking to a slab of stone; Kagome told him it was very natural to speak to an inanimate object that people in the future spoke to their loved one's graves all the time. Even with this knowledge Inuyasha still felt stupid talking to nothing but open space and not getting a response… people would think he was crazy should he ever come here in the middle of the day.

"Miroku has been dragging me around the country exterminating demons and we've barely gotten a break until now. He somehow got Sango pupped again in between all these trips and so now he's grounded for the next few months until it's born. Inu is doing good, getting stronger and stronger every day; and also being a handful for his mother… I really need to help her out more than I do. But he is a good pup and I wish you could have met him; though I'm certain it would only cause you more pain seeing Kagome and I together."

Even after all these years and being shown what Kikyo would have tried to do in the future Inuyasha still felt guilty about how she left this world a second time. Though the older Inu told him there was no other way Inuyasha believed he could have talked to Kikyo about everything and changed her mind about hurting Kagome; but because of Inu forcefully taking her soul he never got that chance. "I'm… I'm sorry I couldn't help you Kikyo."

"What are you doing here demon!?"

Inuyasha was so focused on his apologizes to a grave that he missed the presence of another approach. Filtering through the scents on the wind he barely recognized the person standing only a few feet away because he only met the girl once. "Am I not allowed to be here little girl?" He turned to face the glaring little apprentice of Kaede's.

"You are a demon and not permitted upon holy grounds."

Inuyasha was never fond of being told what to do, he was always defiant and really the only person that could boss him around was his mate; so for this little human child to think she could make leave… she must be crazy. He released a bit of his demonic energy to test her own spiritual powers, he frowned when he barely felt any spark from her aura and she didn't even physically flinch from it telling him that she wasn't that powerful. _'Keh, powerful? I'm pretty sure Aki has more spiritual power than this girl and she's eight years younger.'_ "What exactly were you taught about demons at that shrine you came from girl?"

Natsumi's brown eyes widened at his disrespect and then narrowed once more, "My lessons in Edo are of no concern to you demon."

"Well obviously it wasn't much since you don't know the difference between good and purely evil demons." The child's eyebrow rose in confusion and Inuyasha realized he would have to explain, "Ugh, you said it yourself demons should not be allowed on _'holy grounds'_ and yet how am I able? As a demon I should have been purified by the sutra that protect the grounds yes?"

He gestured towards the tree line and Natsumi did spot several sutras either hanging from the branches or attached to rocks, "Yes, Kaede-sama told me she blessed those sutra herself and yet you are able to stand here without turning to ash… how is that possible?"

"I told you there are different types of demons; the peaceful ones that have no intentions of humans are allowed here."

Natsumi looked pale and utterly confused about what Inuyasha just told her; she turned away and approached a nearby wooden bench to sit down.

"Hey uh… look girl I didn't mean to shatter your ideals of how things should be; I know you humans are pretty set in your ways once you get something in your head."

"That's not true… there are many of us that are willing to accept change with solid proof; however, there has never been proof of demons being good. Every demon that has attacked a village we were sent to the demons were evil creatures that needed to be purified… there are no such things as good demons."

"And yet here I stand, a demon, on holy ground and… nothing is happening to me," Inuyasha waived his arms around watching his sleeves billow in the wind; he knew nothing would happen but he wanted to prove to her that he wouldn't suddenly burst into flames.

Natsumi sneered at Inuyasha's childness, she had never been around a demon long enough to see how they react… she wasn't happy with the result. The child's gaze suddenly sharpened as she remembered something, "Rin-san yesterday called you by the name Inuyasha, demon… is that your name?"

Inuyasha stopped swing his arms like a crazed man at her question, "Yeah it is; why are you going to use it now?"

"I have heard of that name while I was training under Fuji-sama and of what happened in this very village fifty years ago but every time I have heard the tale the Inuyasha has been a half demon… you can't be the one."

Inuyasha flinched when the girl merely mentioned what happened in his past, it was still a sensitive subject for him, but knowing he probably came out as the bad guy in the humans' tale he felt he needed to set the record straight. "I am… I was the half demon, five years ago I was given the power to become a full demon," he chose not to go into detail about just how that transformation happened… it wasn't the child's business anyway.

The wind suddenly shifted bringing the aroma of many different meals filled Inuyasha's nose reminded him that he had not eaten yet and he was extremely hungry. He looked to the sky and realized that it was nearly dark he needed to get home or he would miss dinner and the girl shouldn't out after either; she was new to the area and didn't know the demons that wondered in the woods at night.

"Look kid, it's late and I need to go… but if you have any more questions, or want the real story of what happened, I'll be around or you could ask Kaede; you should get back to her hut too… it's not good to be out here alone." After giving his warning which he hoped she would take, Inuyasha jumped up into the trees which was the quickest way home; but he didn't completely leave that area right away, he crouched on a branch out of sight just watching the child.

Inuyasha knew if Kagome found out he left the girl alone and unprotected in the dark she would be angry; plus his conscious just couldn't let him abandon her no matter if she didn't trust him or not… he was just too good of a man to let that happen.

It only took a few more minutes after he left for Natsumi to stand and make her way to the long staircase that led down the hill towards the town; she walked really slow down the steps, which irritated Inuyasha because that meant he had to stay longer, but thankfully she made it into the old priestess' hut without harm and he bolted the second she did racing home to his family.

As he came closer to his own home Inuyasha took several deep breaths trying to find out what his mate decided to make for supper; it was then he remembered the small fight they had that afternoon and he hoped she and forgiven him by now. After taking in the scents of both his mate and pup, finding them both to be okay, a smile came to his lips when he caught the smell of broth and poultry.

When Kagome decided to live in this time permanently and the well closed five years ago Inuyasha had to give up one of his most favorite meals… but he was very willing to do so if it meant having Kagome forever; before she left her era Kagome snatched up all the ramen she possibly could find in her house but that only lasted so long with a full demon mate that loved the starchy noodles. Inuyasha tried very hard to save his stash but after about a year it was completely gone; Kagome, the smart little mate that she is, saved one of the old cartons and wrote down the ingredients and after a few months and several bad batches she finally created a new soup that Inuyasha loved.

It wasn't exactly the same as ramen because Kagome was never happy with how much salt was in the soup; she was able to reduce the amount of sodium and add more protein which satisfied Inuyasha's more carnivorous side. The only downside about the meal was it took quite a lot of time to prepare and gather all the ingredients so it was a meal that was made only on special occasions which brought up the thought in Inuyasha's mind that he had forgotten something important.

"Crap… what would be important today, it's not her or the pup's birthday," Inuyasha became very caution as he entered the hut; he scanned the main room and only saw Inu sitting by the large pot of soup… no Kagome in sight.

"Oi pup… where's your momma?" Approaching the boy his father couldn't help but smirk seeing the toddler rapidly eating his dinner; much like his old man Inu loved Kagome's soup and the two were often seen fighting over the bowl.

Inu put down his bowl, but didn't fully release the object in fear his father would try and steal it, and turned a pointed toward the bedroom… then he went back to eating.

'_Maybe she's still mad about this afternoon but then why would she make our favorite meal... well I know she would make it for the pup; all he has to do is whine and she give him everything he wants,' _ Inuyasha couldn't really complain that much though because most of the time whatever the pup wants benefited him as well.

"Oh Inuyasha, there you are I was worried you weren't going to make it home for dinner… did you see I made your favorite?" Kagome's head appeared followed by her body a second later from the bedroom when she heard her mate's voice when he entered the hut; she was a bit confused as to why he hadn't started eating the moment he got inside… she also didn't miss how he flinched when she spoke either.

Inuyasha's spine snapped straight when he heard his mate's cheerful voice, he still couldn't figure out what he forgot and now she was going to be even more angry than she was this afternoon, "Um yeah I saw… the pup's really digging in there huh?"

"You seem upset Inuyasha, did something happen while you were at the shrine… are you not pleased?" Kagome walked over to her child, Inu had finished his bowl and wanted more tried to get it himself since his parents were busy talking; but Kagome, the ever vigilant mother, did not wish for her child to be harmed by the fire so she helped him.

"What!? Why wouldn't I be pleased mate? I just don't want you to be angry with me since it seems… it seems I have forgotten today," Inuyasha figured it would be easier to just come out with it and let her be mad rather than draw it out.

"Forgotten… forgotten what Inuyasha? Today is no different than any other… is that why you seem uneasy?" Kagome smiled while wiping Inu's mouth before handing him the steaming bowl of soup again.

"It's not an important day? Then why did you make our favorite dinner, you usually only do that for birthdays or anniversaries."

This time Kagome bowed her head sheepishly, "Well I did it because I felt bad for how I acted this afternoon; I was very rude to you for no reason really and I wanted to apologize."

For the first time since he's been in the hut this evening Inuyasha relaxed, "Feh, you didn't have to do this for me but… if you wanted to apologize you can do that later tonight after the pup is asleep," Inuyasha leaned in close to purr into his mate's ear causing her to giggle and blush at what he was suggesting.

Inu, who was completely oblivious to his parents' flirtatious moment, continued to eat his dinner; his only concern at the time was if he could get a third bowl before his father finished the rest of the pot off.

* * *

Back in the village after Natsumi entered the hut she expected her new teacher to be at the fire pit preparing supper; but Kaede seemed to be absent from the room and only left Rin stirring something in a pot.

"Oh hello Natsumi-san, did you find everything alright at the shrine?" Rin caught sight of when the younger girl entered the hut and greeted her with a smile.

"Yes Rin-chan… I am now familiar with the runnings of this shrine and tomorrow I shall begin my training. Where may I ask is Kaede-sama at this time?"

Upon arriving earlier the previous day Natsumi was quite surprised to see not only the priestess that had sent for her but another young girl about her age. Being introduced to Rin and finding out she was simply staying at Kaede-sama's hut puzzled the training priestess because in Edo the shrine did not take in orphans; that was the first thing she realized would be different from her own home.

"Kaede-sama sends her apologies that she will not be here for dinner but Yumi-san had come by a short time ago… her oldest son was hurt in the fields and Kaede-sama is checking on him."

"I see… well she is the only trained priestess of this small village so it is not surprising that she is called out in the middle of the night," Natsumi approached the fire pit and sat down on one of the floor mats available.

"Yes you will be called at all hours too," Rin smiled while grabbing the kettle she had by the fire and poured two cups of water to make tea.

Natsumi glared under her bangs not happy with the other girl's comment; she was not particularly fond of Rin and felt she had no right to speak of how her life was to be since she herself was not training to be a priestess. But Natsumi held her tongue as the stranger to the village it was not her place to put Rin in hers. "As my duty to the kami is to serve the people I will welcome anyone that should call upon me," she accepted the cup afford to her and tried not to cringe when the sweet liquid passed her lips.

Rin tried to keep her smile genuine rather than forced to show her respect for the young girl; Kaede had warned her when they received a letter from Edo a month ago regarding her request that the girl that would be coming to the village wouldn't be like those that lived in the town. Rin was still young herself but over the years she has become wiser in judging other people and at the moment she greeted Natsumi with Kaede at the entrance of the village she knew the girl was extremely bias against demons. Being a friend to demons and living with several for a year Rin wasn't pleased when Natsumi spoke as if all demons were not meant to breath the same air as humans; when Natsumi had gone to the shrine Kaede had asked that, though Rin didn't like her, she still try to be friendly towards the training priestess since she didn't have any friends here. And that is what Rin was trying to do now though it was rather hard to be friendly with a girl that probably had more venom than a snake demon.

"Is that to be our dinner?" Natsumi put down her barely touched tea to peer in the large pot.

Rin bit her cheek as to not ask if Natsumi like her drink and instead simply opened the lid to show the girl, "Kaede-sama made a quick stew and we have rice that Miroku brought this morning."

"Yes I remember Miroku-san mentioning that yesterday; there is meat in the stew… surely Kaede-sama is too old to hunt," Natsumi frowned at the thought that the old woman was possibly stealing from the shrine's storage to treat herself and the orphan girl when she should be living by lesser means. The priestesses of the Edo shrine lived in far less grandeur than this village but that was because they were completely devoted to the kami; the villagers and those that travelled to the capital***** brought gifts and money to honor the kami… the priestesses that care for the shrine and the grounds are not permitted to take any of the items for themselves.

"No Kaede-sama does not hunt but Inuyasha does and when he has too much meat he brings some here; this is what was left of the boar meat he brought us a few days ago," Rin was so distracted by trying to defend the woman that has taken care of her for the better part of the last five years that she completely missed her slip of the tongue in mentioning Inuyasha.

Natsumi of course didn't miss what Rin said though, "Inuyasha… the demon that freely wonders around the village?"

Rin tensed up hearing Natsumi's snide questioning voice, "Inuyasha is allowed to walk freely among the village because he protects us from rogue demons… he wouldn't hurt anyone unless provoked a great amount."

Natsumi narrowed her eyes at Rin's words; it couldn't be possible that she was defending the demon could it? "Are you familiar with this demon Rin?"

"W-What? Well yes I know him, I have lived in this village for several years," Rin would not let it slip that she lived with the demon lord of the west for a year… she didn't want anything to happen to Sesshomaru should he come to visit her; but she was confused as to the other girl's line of questions… she really wished Kaede was here to change the conversation.

"Yes you have resided in this village for quite some time and therefore have heard many stories about its past from many of the villagers including Kaede-sama herself," Natsumi picked up her tea again but, remembering that she didn't brew it herself, quickly put it back down this time not even bothering to hide her displeasure.

"Yeah I guess, I've never bothered to ask about the stuff that happened before my time here though because it's not my business." Truthfully some of the villagers are still fearful of her because of Sesshomaru lurking around so they don't talk to her much; but that didn't mean she didn't hear gossip all the time when the women didn't noticed she was nearby.

"You have never asked, that is unfortunate, maybe I should seek someone else's knowledge to answer my question."

"Ye have questions child? Maybe I would be able to answer them." With both girls deeply in their conversation neither noticed when Kaede entered the hut.

"Kaede-sama you're back, the stew is ready; did everything go well at Yumi-san's?" Rin was relieved to see the elderly woman and began to dish out the meal.

"Yumi-san's boy will be fine, he simply needs several days rest before he may return to the fields," Kaede sat down and accepted the bowl Rin handed to her; once she was comfortable she then turned to the other young girl, "Natsumi-san, ye had questions… maybe I could be of help?"

"Yes I believe you could Kaede-sama, since you were probably around when the event occurred that I question; I have heard several different stories regarding what happened in this village fifty years ago to the last priestess that protected this village and I would like to have a firsthand account. I would also like all the information you have about the demon that resides in this village… Inuyasha."

* * *

**Note: So here's the next chapter... not much to say other than where I put the (*) I'm not sure if Edo was the capital at that time in Japan but because I'm tired of using the same words to describe different locations I'm going to say it's the capital in the story... but that's all I can think of at the moment. **

**Some background info: I've realized I myself am getting a little confused since I've time skipped in this story with information from the beginning of it; so I'm going to do a quick overview of important things that have happened.**

**Starting from this current chapter which is earlier summer(June-ish)  
1.) Kagome- She fell down the well on her fifteenth birthday; however, I don't believe ****Rumiko Takahashi** ever mentioned when her actual birthday was in either the anime or manga. For some reason when I first watched the show I always thought it started at the beginning of the school year for Kagome; and I know the Japanese school year starts in the spring rather than the fall like in the U.S. But since I live in the U.S. I always thought the show started in the fall in September so for my story Kagome's birthday is in late September rather than the spring.  
So in conclusion Kagome's birthday is about let's say September 15th; which is also the anniversary of her releasing Inuyasha. 6 years have passed up to this chapter of the story (one year for them hunting down Naraku, and five within the span of this story) so Kagome is going to be 21 this September.  
2.) Kagome and Inuyasha's anniversary- This is their mating anniversary (not when they first met). They mated a few weeks after Naraku's defeat so they celebrate their anniversary closer to the end of September beginning of October (around the 30th of Sept.)  
3.) The twins- Sango and Miroku were married like the day before Kagome and Inuyasha mated and Sango became pregnant in earlier March, being twins the girls were born early than a normal baby would; they're birthday is November 21st. So they will be 3 this November.  
4.) Inu- Kagome became pregnant with him 2 years after Inuyasha and she mated (her being 18) in the beginning of March; now since he is a half demon Kagome only carried him for about 5 months. He was born in late August (around the 28th) He will be 2 this year.  
5.)Rin- I can't remember how old she was in the manga/anime but I'm saying she was seven when the manga was written so nearly six years later she would around thirteen (she will be playing a major role in a future chapter).  
6.) Natsumi- She is a new character and she is 10... I can't give much info. on her at the moment because it will be relieved later.

**That's all I have for now... the chapter is raw and I will go back over it later for spelling issues.**

**Thanks to:  
**Kaggy-Higgs88  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
Priss-hanyo  
Surfy  
S0me18skittles  
rspringb  
KairiAngel13  
Ldsprincess  
dont worrie bout it  
Kairifreak  
wizzerl  
DemonChild94  
mangamichelle12  
**For reviewing... lov'em; keep it up!**


	35. Sly as a fox

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

Inu just didn't understand how the minds of adults worked; no matter how hard he tried to comprehend how they handled situations he just couldn't get it. Kids, now kids he got; after all he spend most of his time with his cousins and they only had one thing on their minds… he was not a toy.

Every time his mother brought him over to Sango-obasan's hut the twins would practically attack him wanting to either play with their toys or pull his hair; and the screaming… whenever they were over excited or angry at each other the girl's would release a high pitch screech that hurt his sensitive ears. Because of this the tiny pup would rather prefer to stay close to his mother while visiting, she would protect him no matter what; and being close to her all the time gave him the opportunity to observe the strange behavior of adults.

Unlike human children Inu, being half demon, was very aware of his surroundings since his birth two years ago; his most basic survival instincts to stay alive helped him with that and so while the girls were off in their own little world Inu himself understood what was going on among the people closest to him.

For example over the past few months he's noticed his aunt has been acting not like her usual self; one minute she would be speaking with his mother and the next she would be up and out the door then return ten minutes later looking horrible.

"You okay Sango, you want some water?" His mother always had a look of pity on her face whenever this happened and Inu didn't like it; her smell would always change also and it made him uneasy because it was his job to have her be happy while his father was not present.

Inu's nose was far sharper than any of the humans in the room and so he could easily pick up both his aunt's sickness and the fact that she smelled strongly of his uncle. He knew sickness was not good for humans and he wished to express his worry over his aunt's condition; since his human language skills weren't that great yet he spoke to his father one night in their native tongue to warn them.

Inu was surprised when his father started to laugh at his news, the pup didn't find anything funny about what he said; sickness was a serious issue for humans because it could lead to death… Inu wasn't very familiar with death but he knew sadness came with it and that he knew about and didn't like the smell of it.

"Calm down pup, Sango ain't sick… she's having another pup."

Pup! Inu knew what a pup was, how that made his aunt sick he wasn't sure; and then panic filled him with what that implied, if she was having another pup that meant there would be a third one to harass him when he visited. After that realization Inu was very wary around his aunt waiting for this other pup to appear; but after a few week of knowing what was to come and yet nothing happening he became confused.

"Inu, baby what are you doing?" Kagome stifled her laughter at the boy when after a few minutes of being at Sango's hut today the child got up from his spot next to her and began exploring the sitting room.

Inu just finished looking in the twins' small wooden box where they keep their toys when he heard his mother's question, "Where pup?"

Both women were surprised by his question, "Pup? What pup Inu?"

Inu didn't know how to express his thoughts so he simply pointed towards the girls. "Pup."

"Pup? Kagome, you don't think he's talking about the baby do you?" Sango put her hand to her slightly round lower belly; being only about three months along she was hardly showing anything but she was still protective of the baby.

"He could be Sango, Inuyasha and he were talking about something the other night and he's been acting strangely since… maybe he knows that you are pregnant."

"But then why is he looking around?"

Kagome thought about it for second, meanwhile her son went back to searching the room, and then she started to laugh, "He thinks the baby is hiding in the hut somewhere; Inuyasha must have told him you were having a baby but he doesn't understand you're carrying the baby," Kagome stood and walked over to her son picking him up to prevent him from going into the bedrooms, and brought him back to the fire pit where she had been sitting.

"Inu, yes Sango-obasan is going to have a baby." Immediately the boy began looking around the room again in search of this pup that he can't seem to find. "No, no sweetheart, the baby isn't here yet. Sango-obasan is carrying the baby in her belly until it is ready to be born which won't be until the snow comes."

Inu's golden eyes had caught on that his aunt had gotten bigger in the recent months but he thought she was just gaining weight; suddenly his eyes grew wider and he turned to look at his mother, "Eat pup?"

Both women burst into uncontrollable laughter at the toddler's very panicky question, "No Inu, she didn't eat the baby. It's very small and lives in there until it is big enough to be born and live here like the twins and you do," Kagome explained while combing her fingers through his soft black locks.

Inu was still completely confused why the pup would be inside his aunt when it wouldn't be very comfortable; but he believed his mother's words and let the subject drop but he would still be very cautious around his aunt for the time being.

And his aunt wasn't the only one acting strangely; Inu observed his parents doing odd things as well over the next few weeks. His father had been home a lot more since apparently Miroku-ojisan was in trouble because Sango-obasan was having a pup… or that's as far as Inu got from the conversation the adults had at the beginning of the summer season; but whatever the reason his father was home all the time now and could play with him.

But that wasn't all he was doing because Inu could tell his parents were up to something; several times during meals the pup would catch both of them giving each other weird looks. Inu called it the 'sleepy eye' look because they always looked like they were ready for a nap but they never took one… at least not while he was awake.

Another thing he noticed was that they were touching each other a lot more; dog demons were very physically emotional beings but every time Inu wanted to crawl up and snuggle with his mother his father had already beaten him to it… in the pup's opinion it was ridiculous!

"Inuyasha, why does Inu look so angry… have you been playing too rough with him?"

Inuyasha looked over his mate's head, since she was currently sitting in his lap, to look at his pup; indeed the toddler was giving them an evil glare and baring tiny little teeth. Inuyasha's sharp hearing could also pick up on the growls the boy was releasing; he knew why the little guy was angry but he wasn't going to do anything to make him better… not while he was comfortable with the object his son wanted. "Keh, he's fine mate… probably just needs a nap," Inuyasha buried his nose into Kagome's neck while she cuddled into his embrace.

"Mine!" Inu barked and stomped his foot to get his parents' attention. Inuyasha heard the pup and responded with a deep growl telling the boy not to challenge him; but instead of backing down Inu suddenly began to whimper and cry which he knew would get to his mother. "Mama!"

Kagome jumped out of her mate's arms, much to Inuyasha's displeasure, and scooped up her upset child bringing him close to her body to stop his cries. Inu, once in his mother's arms, buried his nose into her neck and smirked over her shoulder at his father who was glaring at them… Inu didn't have to challenge his old man for his mother's attention because he would always win.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at his son's cocky display, having no idea where that came from, but he wasn't happy that Kagome wasn't with him anymore, "You baby him too much woman, how is he ever going to get stronger if every time he cries you go running to him?"

That earned the jealous dog demon a stern glare from his mate that caused his ears to involuntarily lower in submission, "I'm his mother Inuyasha, even when his an adult and has a family of his own he will still be my baby; he can cry and whimper all he wants and I will be there no matter what." Inuyasha knew by her tone not to fight back on this; but he was pleased that she could be just as deadly as a female dog demon when her pups were involved.

Inu was quite pleased to know that he won that battle but there were several that his father didn't let him win and the toddler swore his old man was cuddling with his mother while he was distracted; like some times while at his cousins, and they were tame enough not to want to play with him, his father would lead his mother away for a walk… Inu was certain they were doing something while away but he couldn't put his finger on it. And they had to be doing something at night too, Inu noticed while during the day if they didn't go into the village his father spend a lot of the day playing with him; Inuyasha had been trying to teach his pup how to hunt since the whole grasshopper thing a few months ago. Inu had no interest in learning to kill anything yet, and his patience to wait for the pray to relax was next to nothing, most of the time the two demons would just wind up playing tag; that was more entertaining to the pup but it did tire him out rather quickly. Which Inu thought that was his father's plan all along so he would go to bed early and his old man would have all night with his mother... Inu was going to have to do something about that.

* * *

Despite the long trip the sea was calm, the air was warm and smelled heavily of salt, the boat though rather large was crowded with merchants and their wears that they would sell once reaching the port; among the caravan were also several men dressed in priestly garb that bartered passage to the island.

Masanori, who was among these men, was leaning against the railing of the vessel listening to the others speak; but since he couldn't understand a word they were saying he simply focused back on the horizon and enjoyed the beautiful summer day.

The last time he was on a boat he was still recovering from his deadly wounds he received from the wolf demon; two years ago he came close to death several times after that attack had Yukio not been extremely tentative to him… Masanori owed the man his life yet again. The young man was very grateful to still be alive and vowed to remain with his teacher when all the others abandon them; but now after travelling the continent, trying to gather new followers, and now watching his teacher trying to understand their strange language was rather embarrassing.

Just watching Yukio trying to both listen and speak the tongue these men were and failing miserably caused Masanori to roll his eyes. The young man was skeptical about the foreign men but Yukio assured him that though they spoke differently their goal was the same… to purge the world of demons; ironically 'demon' was the same in any language and that was why they were all on this boat heading back to their home land. Masanori closed his eyes and breathed in deeply trying to relax his body and relieve both his excitement and worry about returning home. Home, could he even call it that anymore, the village he was born and grew up in was gone; the woman he took as a wife was seduced and corrupted by a demon and ultimately lead to her death… what did he really have to go back to?

Many times in the last two years, while trying to recover from his wounds, he had asked himself this question while he laid on his stomach on his futon every time a flash of the beautiful miko from the old woman's village came to his mind. Despite everything that happened that night Masanori was still convinced that he could save Kagome from her fate; he has completely ignored the fact that she had willingly accepted the wolf demon's protection and even saved him herself. He believed that the spell on her was so ingrained within her body that only he could possibly save her… and how could he do this you ask, being the weak human that he was? A smirk came to Masanori's lips as he remembered the visitor he had several nights ago before they embarked on the boat and the agreement that was made between the two.

"You have been very quiet these last few days my boy… are you fearful of returning to the island?" Yukio stepped away from his guests to speak with his student… his only loyal student; it still angers him thinking about all his followers simply abandoning their mission because they were not able to purify that village with the dog demon. They really needed more powerful allies on their side other than one miko who lost her way during a most crucial time in their conquest which ended in her own death; but they could find many more where she came from and now with these men from the continent helping them it would only be a matter of time before they were rid of all demons.

"I am not afraid Yukio-san, I actually look forward to returning home… I must retrieve what I was forced to leave behind last time."

"Do not tell me you are still thinking about that traitorous woman boy; she was lost to you the minute she laid with that demon… and when we make port that village will be the first to fall to us," Yukio didn't wait for a response and went back to tend to his guests… which meant his missed what Masanori said next.

"You can do whatever you want to that village and the demon old man… but Kagome is mine to deal with and you can't stop me."

* * *

The summer season was coming to an end and the afternoons had become much cooler than during the peak summer days when all you wanted to do was stay down by the river and cool off. This particular afternoon Kagome was enjoying a little quiet time and her sewing as she fixed a small tear in her son's kosode; for a two year old, who should be mostly sitting around playing with toys but instead could be seen running and chasing his father around in their front yard, he sure did rip his clothes a lot.

And speaking of her child, Inu for once was actually being quiet and playing with some of the wooden toys Inuyasha had carved for him by her side; Inuyasha was off hunting for that night's dinner and since Inu was still too young to remain quiet for long he had to stay home… not that he minded much.

Kagome frowned her brow a bit just thinking about her son's odd behavior over the last month; it couldn't just be her imagination that every time Inuyasha and she would try to have an intimate moment together Inu would suddenly require her attention for one thing or another… though Inuyasha insisted he was just faking it Kagome would still go to his every call; though now watching him sitting on the veranda beside her so content with just being there with her Kagome was being to think that her mate was right.

'_No that's nonsense Inu is just a baby, he doesn't understand when we are trying to be intimate… does he?'_ Kagome quickly pushed that thought away as nothing when a familiar demonic aura brushed passed her senses and a minute later that unmistakable inflated pink balloon floated over the tree line. "Oh Inu look who's here… it's Shippo-oniisan!"

At his mother's announcement Inu pulled his attention away from 'the mighty Inu Taisho raiding the weak human village' to see the pink ball touch down, a grey puff of smoke, and then Shippo stood in the middle of the large yard.

"Hello Shippo, long time no see, how have you been?" Kagome put down her sewing down and moved off the veranda to greet her guest; Inu, having watched his mother leave abandoned his toys and joined her in the yard.

"Hey Kagome… whoa wait a minute this can't be Inu could it? The last time I was here he was so tiny," Shippo crouched down to the toddler's level to get a good look at him.

Shippo, the fox demon himself, has had some major changes since his friends have last seen him; he last stopped by the village a year ago, his studies had become more advanced since the emerging of his second tail the previous year that he couldn't come around as often as before.

Kagome and the others understood that his studies were important and were just happy to see him when he could visit; but with his long absences many changes had happened to both them and the fox demon… case in point Shippo's shock in Inu's growth.

"Yeah this is him… it's been a while since your last visit; and speaking of growing look at you… I think you're taller than me now," Kagome's praise caused Shippo to blush.

"Hehe…yeah funny thing about that it happened right after my last visit; apparently once my second tail came in completely it started the second stage of my life," the fox demon stood back up to his full height and indeed he was a little taller than his once adoptive mother; Kagome also noticed his attire was different as well. Shippo still wore his blue hakama but gone was his once brown fur vest and cream colored haori with the leaves; in their place he wore a simple white short sleeved haori instead matching his new aged appearance making him look older… gone was the baby fox Kagome had cared for during their journey.

To keep herself from crying Kagome focused on the present with two of her precious boys right in front of her, "You look great Shippo, are you able to stay for dinner… maybe a little longer so we can catch up; Inuyasha should be back soon with dinner."

"Inuyasha is in the village? I thought Miroku and he would be out on a job or something."

Kagome, seeing Inu wanted to be picked up did so, and headed back towards the hut, "No they're both here; Miroku is grounded until Sango gives birth."

Shippo had been following the woman and stopped to pick up her sewing and Inu's toys that they left on the porch since she had her hands full; but hearing this surprising news caused him to drop everything, "Sango's pupped again!?"

* * *

Once inside and Inu was comfortable, and the rice was prepared for dinner Kagome went into detail about everything the fox had missed while away. Sango's pregnancy was a shock, and Shippo made a note to go visit her and the twins later, but when Kagome told him of Ayame's recent births the fox wasn't as shocked as she thought he would be.

"Oh I already knew Koga has five daughters, the elders that teach me live on the wolf demons' lands so we're informed about things that happen with them."

"Oh… I wasn't aware of that information," Kagome smiled at the fox demon while tending to dinner.

The room fell silent after that, except for Inu occasionally clanking his toys together, and the crackling fire as it heated the rice; Kagome didn't like the silence but didn't have much to say so she focused on cutting up vegetables while waiting for Shippo to say something.

Looking up through her bangs at the young man she could see something was on his mind but he was deciding whether or not to tell her; well she wasn't going to wait forever, "Shippo, is something on your mind?"

When she first called out to him Shippo jumped in shock before releasing a nervous chuckle at her question, "W-What? Why would you think that Kagome?"

"Because you're worse than Inuyasha when it comes to lying and you both twitch uncontrollably when there is something you want to talk about."

Shippo's face bloomed into a deep red color with his embarrassment and his tails drooped at being called out; knowing he couldn't fool her, and didn't plan on trying to, Shippo relaxed his body and just let it all out. "Well you see here's the thing Kagome, I know I haven't been around a lot in the last five years because of my training," even in his sharp ears that sounded horrible, this woman took care of him during a very difficult time in his life and now he was barely around, "And you probably won't believe me but I'm no longer a kit anymore."

"Well of course I know you're not a baby Shippo, look at you, you're taller than me and so soon you'll probably be Inuyasha's size… I definitely can't hold you in my arms anymore," Kagome tried to laugh at the topic to keep herself from crying at the memories she was bringing back up.

"Yeah… and since I'm older now I'll be doing more 'adult' type things," Shippo blushed even harder because he still saw Kagome as a mother like figure and talking about these types of things was very uncomfortable for him.

"What do you mean… you many have gotten bigger but you are certainly not old enough to be doing those types of adult activities," Kagome frowned not pleased with where this conversation was heading.

"Well… not completing the activities of course, I am still young; however, I am old enough to start searching for my mate," to keep from fainting from his embarrassment Shippo took a spoon and stirred the rice so it wouldn't stick to the pot.

"Oh well of course… Shippo looking for a girlfriend, oh now I really feel like a nervous mother… which means I'll probably be a wreck when Inu starts dating," Kagome giggled like a school girl; and Inu, upon hearing his name, dropped the toy he was playing with and approached his mother who gladly picked him up to hold.

"What's a girlfriend? Is that like a mate… it doesn't sound like it would be as permanent as mate ship would," taking Kagome's cue the fox drained the water from the rice and poured it into a large serving bowl that Kagome would divide up later.

"Well according to Inuyasha it isn't but you're still so young you couldn't possibly be looking for the one girl you will spend the rest of your life yet could you?" Kagome didn't miss his cringe when Inuyasha's name was mentioned; she was just about to question him on it when Shippo spoke up again.

"Well some demons are different than humans… we're not interested in coupling with many different females; fox demons are very close to dog and wolf and they mate for life… being with someone that isn't your mate is like a betrayal to them and you don't deserve them."

Kagome smiled very proud that the boy was growing into a respectful young man, she had been worried for a while with all the time he spent around Miroku; with dinner nearly complete and no sign of her mate yet Kagome wasn't going to make the boys wait for him so she began preparing plates.

"Shippo, may I ask you something?" Kagome handed the fox his portion which he eagerly accepted with hunger in his eyes.

"Yeah sure Kagome… what is it?"

"Well I couldn't help but notice just now and before when we were outside that whenever Inuyasha… is mentioned you flinch for some reason… did you do something to upset him and you're feeling guilty about it now?" Kagome knew she was on the right track when he froze half way from putting the spoon in his mouth.

It took a second but he finally relaxed again and put his bowl down, "Um… well yeah it has something to do with him; I haven't done anything yet to anger him but I know he won't be happy," when Kagome gave him a look to continue speaking Shippo bowed his head finding his claws more interesting to focus on, "Well remember I said I was looking for a mate… I actually already found her." Shippo expected his friend to blow her top at what he just said, something along the lines that he was too young to have found a mate yet; but instead Kagome just sat there with a look of shocked confusion on her face.

"You… you've found her already… well that was a little quick wasn't it?" Kagome wasn't expecting that as his answer to her question, especially after she just got finished telling him that he had time until he should settle down; but the look in his eyes told her to keep her mouth shut.

Indeed the young fox demon looked smitten just thinking about the girl he was in love with; he reminded Kagome of all those love sick girls she went to school with and was just waiting for a bit of drool to come to the corner of his mouth. Seeing his reaction she knew not to fight him about this and just went with it, "So tell me what it is about this young woman that has gotten your attention?"

"Well she's very soft spoken, smells like honey suckle, and has the prettiest cream colored hair I've ever seen… she kind of reminds me a little of you Kagome," Shippo's blush darkened by his description… he didn't wish to creep his friend out but it was the best way to describe the young female that has his interest.

Kagome wasn't in the least bit offended by his comment and was rather flattered by the comparison… at least she knew the girl would be good for him, "Well she sounds lovely Shippo I can't wait to meet her but surely you will wait a few more years before mating yes?"

"What? Oh y-yes… the courtship for fox demons can last for decades so there is no foreseen mating for me yet so you don't have to worry… that is if I'm even allowed to court her in the first place," Shippo's two tails drooped again and Kagome could pick up on the depression seeping into his normal cheerful aura.

"What do you mean Shippo; is something stopping you?"

"Sadly yes… her father is not very happy about the match."

Not having much experience with seeking approval from a parent, since both Inuyasha's parents had already passed on before they mated, Kagome wasn't familiar with Shippo's plight, "He doesn't see it as a good match, why? You're a very lovely young fox demon, how could you not be good for his daughter?"

Shippo didn't answer but the look he gave her told Kagome a few things, "Me!? He doesn't think you're good enough because of me? Is it because I'm a human… because if that is an issue I'll just have to go talk to him myself and set him straight."

"What, no no! Kagome it's not you really it isn't."

"Well if it's not me then who, is he not pleased because Inu is a half demon… I'm sure we can straighten him out with that too," Kagome pulled her son into a tighter hug not liking the thought that he could be hated just because of what he was.

"No it's not Inu either, I think he's actually afraid of him, not the problem is Inuyasha," Shippo, now with that off his chest, released a sigh of relief.

"Inuyasha… what did he do?" Kagome couldn't think of anything her mate could have done to upset the fox clan; he's been in the village for the past few months and she was certain the two had never met before.

Shippo scratched his head in thought, "I'm not sure really… sensei grumbles a lot but from what I got there apparently is a badger demon clan in the west that was denied more land by Sesshomaru and him; the leader of the clan is very good friends with my teacher and so he's holding a grudge too."

Kagome remembered Inuyasha mentioned some annoying badger demon while he was at those meetings in the west but that was year ago surely they had gotten over that by now right? "Your teacher does know that Inuyasha didn't really have anything to do with that right… it was Sesshomaru decision."

"He knows but he doesn't care… he doesn't like dog demons very much either."

"Well that's not really fair to you, it wasn't your choice; how can he blame you?"

Shippo merely shrugged his shoulders while finishing what was on his plate, "I guess because he considers me Inuyasha's pup us why he's not going to allow me to court her… or it's going to be ten times harder. He's already expressed that he wishes for Yuu to mate an older fox… one that has four tails."

Kagome took his and Inu's empty plates to be washed in the water basin, "But she hasn't agreed to this courtship I'm guessing?"

Shippo smirked, "She's very stubborn and since she's teacher's only kit she pretty much has him wrapped around her finger so she's been pushing that courting aside for as long as possible until I can convince her father that I'm the better match. After my training we meet by the lake just outside of our den… I know she would rather be with me but I doubt he's going to allow it."

"Well there has to be something that would change his mind; this Yuu-chan can't persuade him?"

"No that's the one thing she can't do; however, before I left to come here he did offer me a deal."

Kagome's mood was slowly copying that of the fox demon's as he told his story of heartache; she herself was all too familiar with trying to fight for her love… but she won her battle and she would help her friend win his too. Hearing there may be a way her mood immediately perked back up, "Well that sounds good, he's willing to make a deal… what is it?"

"Well it's not that simple; he wants me to prove that I am loyal to the fox clan by severing my ties to Inuyasha."

Kagome was quiet for a second to gather her thought on this news, "So in order for you to be with Yuu-chan you can't come and visit anymore?"

"No he wants me to… to attack Inuyasha to prove myself."

To say Shippo's information unsettled Kagome would be an understatement; having Shippo try and attack Inuyasha would be suicide. Her mate was far too strong for the young fox to harm and it would be a direct betrayal to the west and would cause war to break out among the two lands if Sesshomaru got wind of this plan.

It was late now so Kagome busied her troubled mind with putting her son to bed while Shippo remained in the main room sulking over the plight he was in; once Inu was tucked in safely she returned to stoke the fire and deal with this mess.

"So in order for you to be with this girl, if your teacher is even telling the truth, you have to prove your loyalty to the fox clan by attacking Inuyasha to avenge the badger clan that Sesshomaru refused to give land to years ago… did I miss anything?"

"No… that was pretty much it."

Kagome moved the pot of water over the fire to make tea since that normally calmed her down and helped her think. "Could there be a way around this? Could we trick your clan… simply inform Inuyasha of what is going on and then stage an attack?"

Kagome's hope about her plan was quickly shot down by Shippo's head shake, "They would know, like that test I had and failed because I couldn't trick you… they'll be watching everything."

* * *

A short time later Shippo slipped off to the back bedroom to rest up after his long trip back to the village; Inuyasha for a while now had been planning to add another room to their home but he hadn't gotten around to doing it yet so Shippo slept on the extra futon in Inu's room.

Kagome was too nervous to go to bed yet, and she was wondering what was taking her mate so long to get home; she sat up in the main room just thinking about all Shippo told her and how they could prevent it.

About an hour later she felt a familiar aura gently brush against hers just before the door opened to reveal her mate, "Where have you been? I was just about to go out and look for you."

"I was on the trail of a deer when I bumped into a farmer from the next town over; apparently he was being sent here looking for Miroku and me. Turns out a toad demon got into their town and so I went to take care of it; it was related to the one we killed years ago and he wasn't too thrilled to see me… took longer than I thought and I lost the deer," Inuyasha raised his hand to show his mate the fish he caught.

"That's okay that you didn't get the deer and at least you're okay and were able to help that village; the boys were fed and went to bed… Shippo's come to visit," Kagome took the fish to prepare for breakfast the next morning.

Inuyasha sat by the fire and took the bowl that was saved for him, "Yeah I thought I smelled the runt when I entered the yard… how long you think he'll be staying this time?"

"I'm not sure really but we have a much bigger problem to deal with."

"Oh? Well what is it… Miroku do something stupid while I was gone?" Inuyasha quickly scarfed down his food and then wiped his mouth with his sleeve; when Kagome saw this she frowned and handed him a small piece of cloth.

"You really need to stop using your haori like a napkin; I don't want our son using eating like a pig too. And no Miroku isn't the problem; Shippo has come to me with a situation that affects you."

Her mate ignored the jab about his table manners since she had been telling him that for years now but he did take the cloth just to please her; Inuyasha's ears perked up at the mention of the fox's problem having to do with him though… to his knowledge he hadn't done anything to Shippo in a while that would cause a problem. "How? I haven't seen the runt in a while… what would this have to do with me?"

Kagome went into a quick overview of what Shippo told her earlier in the evening; she wasn't sure if she was allowed to tell him about what Shippo had to do but then she decided she must since Inuyasha was her mate… but she did feel like she was betraying her young fox friend.

Inuyasha sat quietly while his mate spoke filtering everything she said; it didn't really upset him that the fox clan leader wanted revenge for something Sesshomaru did because Inuyasha knew he would be making enemies when he took his place at his brother's side. No what made his blood boil was the look on Kagome's face; she was clearly upset about the whole matter not wanting anyone she held precious to get hurt. At the point when she broke into tears is when Inuyasha pulled her into his arms, he didn't want her to wake either of the boys in the other room, "Oi, why you crying woman, there's nothing to be sad about."

"But I know how Shippo feels caring for someone and not being able to be with them; but then in order for him to be happy you would have to be hurt and I couldn't bare that either."

"Hey hey shh… hush now or you'll wake the pup and you know how he don't like when you're upset. And who says I have to get hurt for the runt to be with this girl huh?"

Kagome pushed away from his chest to try and find out what he was thinking, "Inuyasha-."

"You just tell Shippo when he gets up tomorrow to send for his teacher… I'll handle the rest," Inuyasha didn't let her question him as he simply kissed her forehead and then dashed out the door again.

"What is he thinking?"

* * *

Well needless to say Kagome didn't sleep at all that night worrying about where her mate had planned; Inuyasha didn't return and by dawn Kagome decided she was done trying to rest.

"Maybe if I start breakfast early I can get my mind off this," Kagome dressed and rolled up the futon nearly in the corner of the room completely set in her plan; though she knew no matter how she tried to distract herself her mind was solely thinking about her mate.

When entering the main room Kagome was a little shocked to see Shippo sitting by the fire and deboning the fish Inuyasha brought home last night… apparently she wasn't eh only one that wanted to get an early start today.

"Shippo! What are you doing up?"

"I don't need much sleep and I wanted to head out early… I heard what Inuyasha requested last night."

Seeing Shippo's shoulders slump Kagome realized he wasn't sleeping when they were talking, "You… you heard us last night?"

"Yeah… but I wasn't ease dropping honest… I'm sorry to upset you so much Kagome."

She moved across the room to kneel next to him, "No Shippo, you didn't upset me this whole situation is just troubling me that's all; and now Inuyasha is up to something and I have a headache now."

Shippo tried not to laugh as Kagome's expression so he turned back to cleaning the fish; Kagome sat in her seat by the fire pit and took the fish Shippo was finished with to wash them.

"So are you going to leave right after breakfast; I don't know where Inuyasha went or when he'll be back so I don't really know when you should retrieve your sensei."

Shippo shrugged while trying to dig out the tiny rib bones of the fish, for a human using a knife it would take a lot longer than him using his claws, "I guess I could, it's not far when I fly but he could be anywhere at the moment since the younger kits are having tests right now but it won't be too hard to find him… convincing him to come here is a different story."

"Oh I'm sure whatever Inuyasha has planned will intrigue him enough to come."

* * *

"Ah-choo! What the hell? That's the third time I've sneezed since I've been here; must be because of these damn smelly wolves… oi, flea-breath would you hurry up!" Inuyasha was currently leaning against the stone wall of the cave that housed his once rival now friend; not only did he seem to have the sniffles but he was itching to leave the wolf infested mountain quickly… and he wasn't the only one that wanted him to leave if having all the other wolf demons starting at him was any indication.

The dog demon brushed off their growls and glares as just empty threats, if any of them dare challenge him he would easily take them down, and put his focus simply on what the idiot wolf could possibly doing that was taking so long.

"Would shut up and stop complaining mutt, you show up in the middle of the night and expect me to be ready in less than an hour!" Koga barked back from deep within the cave; his angry snap caused the wolves that were guarding the den's entrance to growl deeply in warning at the dog.

"What are you doing in there anyway, it's not like you need to pack a bag or anything you're only going to be gone maybe a day if we leave now!" Inuyasha pushed off the cave wall but didn't go any farther in not feeling like having to deal with the guard wolves that were now standing as well.

"You'll understand when you have more than one cub to take care of; I just can't up and leave anymore, not when my mate will be here alone with five cubs… I'm sure Kagome will leash you when the time comes."

Inuyasha rolled his eyes at the excuse but he could understand Koga's plight, if Kagome had more than one little one to take care of he would probably be in the village a lot more… though he wouldn't mind that that much. But never would he burden his mate with so many pups at one time like Koga did to his; in Inuyasha's opinion the wolf really needed some self-control… the next time the she-wolf goes into heat go take a dip in the river or something.

The dog demon was pulled from his thoughts, of dunking the wolf in the river and not letting him back up for air, when he heard a deep yet gentle yipping type of bark that was followed by four almost identical baby yips and one infant type of whine; all the sounds had Inuyasha struggling to not laugh at the fact that the once big and brave, loud mouthed leader of the wolf demon tribe was talking baby talk with his five young daughters.

"What are you snickering about out here Inuyasha; I know for a fact that you do the same thing with Inu," Ayame appeared at the cave entrance with her youngest daughter in her arms; Inuyasha had never seen this pup or the one born before her so he was a little curious as to her features.

"Keh, I don't do that anymore," Inuyasha wasn't going to deny that he spoke in his native tongue to his pup when he was an infant because Kagome practically told everyone they knew that he did and how cute it was; but luckily no one knew that he secretly still did talk to Inu with yips and barks just before putting him to bed… he didn't want the boy to lose a part of who he was simply because no one spoke to him that way anymore.

Ayame merely nodded her head though she didn't believe a word he said because she knew he had just as much pride as her mate, "So why do you require Koga's assistance?"

With the elegance in her voice now Inuyasha found it hard to believe when he first met the female she was nothing but a spoiled princess trying to force Koga to remember some ridiculous promise he made her years before, "Feh, it's nothing dangerous and if he'd hurry up he could be back here by nightfall if he wasn't taking so damn long now!"

"Please watch your language Inuyasha, we have a lot of cubs in the area now and Koga and I are raising our daughters like proper ladies," Ayame's glare was nowhere near as scary as Kagome's.

Inuyasha huffed and folded his arms in a pout knowing he won't be able to move the wolf any faster; at that moment the cub in Ayame's arms started to whimper wanting someone's attention on her.

"What's wrong Ran-chan? I just fed you so that can't be it… maybe you realize your Papa is leaving the den, don't worry though he'll only be gone a short time," Ayame gently nuzzled the cub's head to calm her.

When the baby first squeaked it drew Inuyasha's attention and made him remember that she was actually there and that he wanted to see what she looked like; without Ayame noticing Inuyasha casually leaned closer to her to get a better look at the baby.

Like the other cubs before her Ran was wrapped up in a soft fur blanket to keep the chill of the mountain air away; Inuyasha could barely see the pup's head but he wasn't surprised that at least one of the pups looked like Koga… he shook his head feeling sorry for this child having gained her father's looks.

Ayame noticed him staring and tilted her head, "Would you like to hold her Inuyasha?"

Before he could decline Koga appeared with the other children, "No way is mutt-face holding my cub; besides we have to go since he's so impatient."

Even with the frown on his face Koga was anything but menacing with three cubs hanging from his body; this time Inuyasha did start laughing, "You look like you've got a problem there wolf."

Ayame shifted the baby in her arms to except the small mini-me version of herself that her mate handed over to her; at the exchange the twins and five year old Sayuri moved away from Koga and went to their mother. "Whatever mutt needs me to do at his village hopefully won't keep me away all night," Koga leaned toward his mate to nuzzle her neck before stepping away and heading toward Inuyasha.

"I'm hoping it won't… tonight's bath night!" Ayame's words were followed by several whines of displeasure from the girls.

Koga nodded before both men left the cave and began heading down the side of the mountain. "So what is so important that you can't handle it on your own mutt?"

"Oh I could handle it just fine on my own but if I did it would upset Kagome and I can't have that so it's just easier if you deal with it." Inuyasha smirked at the confusion on Koga's face since the wolf never did like to get his hands dirty.

"And just what am I handling exactly?"

* * *

**Note: Sorry the chapter took so long to get up... I've got a lot more hours at my job now so I try and write in between that. A lot happened in the chapter, I brought back Inu's POV I just love him so much and he's too cute not to include how he thinks of things; I plan on putting him in a lot as the story goes on. Masanori and Yukio are back once again... I wonder what they have planned; and what's going on with Masanori? And now Shippo have returned with a problem of his own that will be wrapped up in the next chapter... just a little filler really on his part because I couldn't think of anything really good to end this chapter and start the next one. And speaking of the next chapter I'll try not to take two months to get it up but I can't make any promises as to when it will be out.**

**Thanks to:  
**bloodlinenaruto  
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**For reviewing... luv'em; keep it up!**


	36. Shippo's plight

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

Per Inuyasha's request Shippo left early that morning in search of his sensei to bring him back to the village; the young fox demon had no idea what the dog demon was planning but he truly hoped it didn't offend his teacher and cause Shippo to lose Yuu forever.

Like he thought it didn't take Shippo long to find the council of elders of the fox demon clan; merely floating over a grove of trees about two hours from the village he found them. The council of elders was much like that of the wolf demon tribe in the fact that they were very strict in their ways and beliefs and no one could really steer them away from their traditions.

Shippo landed quietly in the grass just outside of the circle of demons; he stood patiently and waited his turn to be acknowledged and welcome to approach. While waiting he observed those that were present for the meeting; it turns out the elders were judging their students on their latest test. He knew the fear the young kits were feeling while waiting to be given their grades; but just being present in front of the oldest and wisest members of the clan meant the young ones at least passed… the elders didn't waste their time on those that failed.

Despite the large group in the small clearing only the five foxes in the center of the large circle were council members; the others were guards or family members of those present. The council itself was made up of three males and two females, all of which had either eight of nine of their tails… they have all lived for so long that no one is really sure how old they are; and in the center of this small group sat Shippo's sensei and the clan leader himself.

"Saburo, step forward!" the dark brown fox sitting on the far right of the group ordered cutting the silence in the field.

Shippo's sharp green eyes caught the young kit, who apparently was Saburo, tense before one of his friends pushed him forward to get him moving; the kit snapped out of his stupor and made his way into the center of the circle to be judged.

As tradition the young boy must first bow to each member of the council to show his respect and loyalty to them and the clan before anyone will speak; once he finished with his last bow the pure white female sitting to the leader's left waived her hand and a scroll appeared out of thin air. "Saburo, son of Kenichi, are you ready for your judgement?"

"Y-Yes."

Shippo tensed himself while watching the younger kit get his latest review of his tests; he felt the boy's nervousness and understood his fears having been in that same position several times over the last five years… but even though he wasn't the one in the spotlight he still felt uncomfortable just being a spectator.

Judgment over the latest batch of young fox demons took well over two hours and only one of the kids cried during the time; Shippo waited patiently the whole time until the meeting was over so that he may speak once the last kit was given his review and bounced off to go celebrate with his classmates on their passing. Shippo caught the steely eyes of his sensei lock on to him, knowing that was his cue to approach he stepped forward preparing himself to face the council.

"What you are doing here boy? I thought you were visiting the humans you once lived with?"

Shippo bowed to all the council members before addressing his sensei's question, "I still am sir; however Inuyasha has requested an audience with you."

At the mention of the dog demon all members of the council came alert; the female that had been calling names earlier furrowed her thin brow. "Why would the second lord of the west require Osamu-sama to be at a human village?"

The large brownish red fox with eight tails released a deep growl, "Has he planned some sort of trap? Are we to prepare for war with the west?"

The grayish female to his right placed a hand on his muscular arm, "I doubt it is a trap Isamu, and you know that we are no match for the brothers of the west… let's hear the young kit out before jumping to conclusions."

Shippo bowed in thanks towards the female, "I do not know why he wants Osamu-sama to come to the village, he simply asked that I retrieve him."

Osamu narrowed his deep forest green color eyes at Shippo, "So you're doing the dog's bidding now are you kit… isn't your loyalty already an issue with the clan?"

Shippo didn't respond but his tails did droop a little due to his embarrassment; he knew trying to get his sensei to go with him wouldn't work.

"You aren't planning to betray us are you boy… there is a lot at stake for you if the dog demon knows of what we ordered of you," Osamu watched Shippo's reaction to his words but the boy was solid and didn't falter.

"I know what is on the line for me Osamu-sama, and I won't blow the chance you have given me to be with Yuu-chan."

Despite Shippo's heart felt confession some of the council members still did not believe any good would come of their leader going into the dog demon's territory alone.

"If you do decide to entertain the whim of the young dog, I suggest you not go alone Osamu-sama… there is no telling what the cunning beast has up his sleeve upon your arrival," the brown fox on the far right of the council spoke again since the beginning of the meeting.

"That is a wise point Takeshi; however I have not heard a valid reason as to why I should in fact waste my time by going to a human village."

Shippo knew he was losing his sensei to the idea Inuyasha had planned; racking his brain for a way to get his master to go the idea just popped into his head. "Osamu-sama, would you not have to be close to the village to witness me prove my loyalty to the clan? Why not kill two birds with one stone?" He was so excited about his idea that he completely forgot he used a phrase that had yet to be used in this era; well he might have forgot but the council members were sure stumped by his words.

"What does throwing rocks at birds have to do with the conversation at hand?" The white female tilted her head eager to understand the meaning behind the strange words.

"What? Oh that… well really we won't be killing any birds, it's just a figure of speech Kagome uses; it just means that Osamu-sama can do two things at once… watch me and meet with In-the dog demon."

"Kagome? She is the human priestess that mated the dog demon?"

"I believe we are venturing off topic Kiyomi; we shall discuss the human woman later," Osamu glared not wishing to think about the priestess that had borne a child that was a threat to all demons. "The council shall think about the request that has been set before us; you will know of our decision within the hour," Osamu dismissed Shippo with that command and the young fox knew he could not plead anymore to them.

Shippo bowed to all members of the council before turning and leaving the crowded clearing to get some fresh air… truth be told if he had to stand there any longer in front of the most powerful members of his clan he was about to wet his fur.

* * *

"I don't see how anyone can stand up there and not be nervous," Shippo made it to a small stream nearby and sat down to begin splashing water on his face to clean away the smell of sweat from his body.

"They are rather scary sometimes but they mean well; and you stood up there like a true fox demon… I'm very proud of you."

Shippo nearly jumped out of his skin hearing the soft voice answer his statement; hopping up from the stream's edge he turned to face the female that was in the clearing.

"Y-Yuu-chan… what are you doing here; where are your guards?" Shippo looked around in search of the two large seven tailed fox demon soldiers that usually accompanied the fox princess while she was away from her father.

"I don't need to be watched like a child all the time; I saw you speaking with father and the other council members… were you going to leave without seeing me?" Yuu stepped away from the tree she was standing at to approach Shippo. Like usual she wore a shimmering light blue kimono with a pink obi, her long light brown hair that was normally braided was left loose and flowing; but what really caused Shippo to pause was when the sun lite up her cinnamon colored eyes giving them the fiery spark that drew him to her.

"Of course I wish to see you Yuu-chan, but if your father saw us together alone he would have my tails."

Yuu glared and took a step back not pleased with his answer, "Are you a coward Shippo?"

"W-What!? Why would you th-."

"I can clearly see you shaking in fear because there is a slight possibility my father may see us together; are you more fearful for your life or would you risk it to be with me?"

Before Shippo could answer a flashback of the days when he was with the group chasing Naraku came to mind… mainly all the times Inuyasha risked his life to make sure Kagome was alright. Though Shippo used to tease the dog demon all the time during their journey he did respect the man that kept them all safe during those dangerous times.

While the fox demon was thinking about this the female was expecting an answer and she refused to be patient about it. "Shippo? Are you a coward or aren't you?"

At the question he snapped back to reality to see the female frowning at him; she was about to turn and leave but he grabbed her wrist before she could turn completely and pulled her back to him, "I am no coward… I merely respect both you and your father's wishes; I must prove myself to him before I may court you and I don't wish to upset him since I'm already not his choice for you."

Yuu relaxed in his embrace, "I'm sorry I upset you and accused you of being a coward when clearly you are nothing but a respectful gentleman. I'm just angry that father is putting us through this and not allowing me to make my own decisions… he's treating me like a kit."

Shippo chuckled, "You are his only kit and he is very protective of you… doesn't he have a right to?"

Yuu simply huffed at his question but Shippo could tell how agitated she was by the ferocity at which her large fluffy tail was moving back and forth.

The couple remained by the stream basking in the midmorning sun and enjoying their time alone together when one of the council's guards approached from the tree line. "The council has come to a decision regarding the request you put forth… they require your presence immediately," the guard didn't make a comment about why the younger male was in the presence of the lord's daughter while alone; but Shippo knew he didn't approve by the glare that was sent his way as he passed the older fox.

Once again in the presence of the council Shippo bowed to each member and awaited for them to give his their decision. Kiyomi, the white female, spoke first, "The council members have discussed your request and have come to a decision."

Isamu shifted slightly on the ground while folding his arms across his broad chest, "Despite valid proof that the dog demon is most likely setting up a trap my elder brother still is going to the human village," Shippo was about to burst with excitement that he was able to convince his mentor to come back to him… if the large fox hadn't continued, "However, I will also be accompanying him to this human village… we'll see what the big deal is."

Shippo, now aware of the whole plan, felt like he swallowed his tongue, "Y-you're coming too Isamu-sama?"

"Yeah I am kit… is there a reason you don't want me there?"

"No no of course not… it's just that In-the dog demon is only expecting Osamu-sama."

"Well then we will have the upper hand than won't we; if he is planning a trap he won't be expecting all three of us."

"Three of us?" Shippo looked to the third male on the council paling slightly at just the thought of him coming too.

"Yes boy, Isamu and myself will be accompanying you to the village," Osamu finally spoke after watching his pupil squirm for the last few minutes; he still did not see what his daughter saw in this young male. Having been Shippo's teacher for the last four years he knew what the boy was capable of; in his opinion Shippo was still too weak to be a proper mate to his precious daughter… and he only had two tails! If Osamu had his way Yuu would have already mated the male he chose for her; but sadly since she was his only kit she had him wrapped around her paw and she had her heart set on Shippo… that was the only reason why the clan leader was giving this boy the chance to prove himself.

"Oh… right, of course," Shippo scratched the back of his head nervously, a bad habit he picked up from Miroku during the time he spent around the monk.

"You don't seem pleased with these arrangements kit… is something wrong?" The gray female of the group, and the most gentle of the five, spoke up in concern.

"No no everything is fine Hisoka-sama, I look forward to our journey," Shippo knew there was no way out of this so he wasn't going to argue and dig himself into a deeper hole; he bowed to the group hoping their conversation was over.

"Very well boy, you may begin the journey back, Isamu and I will follow shortly."

Shippo nodded and turned away from the council releasing a deep breath happy that he was able to do as Inuyasha requested… now he only hoped Inuyasha's plan wouldn't hurt or anger the fox leader and risk his chance with Yuu.

Thinking of the princess Shippo shifted his gaze to where he left her to speak with the council; a frown came to his face when he saw her surrounded by her two guards once again… they must have found her when he left or the guard that interrupted them ratted her out, either way she didn't look happy being caged in again.

Not being able to say goodbye was a little depressing but Shippo held his head high, he would see her again soon; his courage however quickly faded while he was pulling a leaf from his pocket and his leader's voice rang out in the quiet field.

"And boy one more thing… if you are caught with my daughter again while she is not chaperoned it will be your tails."

"Y-yes sir," Shippo gave another nervous chuckle, not having the strength to face the council again he quickly placed the leaf on his head to transform into a small crow and took flight heading back to Keade's village.

* * *

"Inu-kun, are you ready for lunch?" Kagome popped out her head out of the open door of the hut to look on the porch for her child.

Inu was not happy that morning when he woke and realized his father was gone once again; the pup frowned when he smelled his father's scent was hours old in the hut and after breakfast he marched out on to the veranda and plopped down intending to wait until the older demon returned home.

Kagome felt horrible for her son seeing him waiting for Inuyasha to return she tried several times to coax him back inside with sweets but he refused them all; she brought him some toys to play with and sat with him for some time until she went inside to whip up lunch. "Inu-kun? Did you hear mommy, are you hungry… do you sense something baby?" She approached her small son and looked out into the yard to see what he was staring at so intently; however like most times when the boy was staring off into space Kagome couldn't see anything that would catch his attention.

Seeing that the toddler was not going to move on his own Kagome scooped him up and turned to head back inside, "You can come back out after you finish lunch and wait for daddy okay?"

"Ippo."

Kagome paused just before the doorway of the hut and looked to her son to see that Inu was actually pointing at something over her shoulder. "What is it sweetheart?"

"Ippo."

Kagome's brain was trying to process what her child was saying but since she couldn't understand she simply turned to see what he was trying to show her. Expecting to see something in the yard Kagome was a little surprised to see nothing but a crow in the sky, "Inu, that is a crow; it's a bird." She tried to explain what they were looking at but Inu shook his and stretched out his hand again.

"Ippo!" The child had never been so adamant about something so Kagome was confused by his actions; drawing her eyes back to the open yard she noticed the crow was coming closer… it was actually planning on landing right in front of them.

Knowing crows were a scavenger type of bird and having had a bad run-in with the creatures the first few days she came to the feudal era Kagome was very caution around them and certainly didn't want it near her son if it meant to harm him.

"Ippo! Ippo!" Inu began to bounce in his mother's arms throwing her off balance slightly with his weight rocking but she still kept her eyes on the bird just in time to witness it land at the steps of the hut. The minute it did land a puff of smoke surrounded it following a popping sound then the smoke disappeared and Shippo was standing there.

"Shippo! W-What? What's with the new transformation and what happened to your silly bubble?"

Shippo stood up sheepishly ducking his head, "Yeah well I just came from talking with the council and I was sent straight here… I couldn't use my normal transformation in front of the elders because they wouldn't take me seriously."

"You convinced your sensei to come here then?" Kagome was so relieved to know he had succeeded in Inuyasha's request of him.

"Yeah but there's more and I don't have much time because they're right behind me," Shippo quickly ushered the mother and child into the hut while still keeping an eye out for the two fox elders that should be arriving soon.

"S-Shippo… what do you mean they? I thought Inuyasha only wanted your sensei to come?" Kagome wasn't pleased to be rushed inside nor was she feeling too happy about the answer Shippo was going to give her.

"Well Osamu-sama's younger brother wasn't convinced that this wasn't a trap set up by Inuyasha so he's coming too."

"What!?" Now Kagome was extremely worried, Inuyasha was only expecting one fox demon to show up and now that there were two she could only hope her mate, wherever he went to, was prepared to deal with the extra company.

"Kagome I know this is a little much but I couldn't talk him out of it. I'm sure Inuyasha will be alright… he fought Naraku and survived surely two fox demons won't be a problem for him." Shippo would have tried to calm her more but the presence of his sensei in the yard drew him to the door to go great the elders.

"Osamu-sensei, I trust the trip here was peaceful," Shippo bound out of the hut and down the stairs doing a quick bow to the two elders in greeting.

Osamu, upon landing in the yard, did a quick scan of the grounds to look for threats… namely the dog demon that summoned him here. "Boy, where is the dog… I wish to get this over with quickly so I may return to more important matters."

"Inuyasha." The female voice from the hut drew all three fox's attention; the brothers were annoyed by the human's presence, and the fact that she was their enemy's mate didn't make it any better, and Shippo felt his stomach drop at seeing Kagome standing there. There was a reason he brought the temperamental woman in the hut in the first place, he didn't want her getting involved in this mess; and knowing that if she was upset that Inu would get involved only made Shippo feel more sick.

"What did you say human?"

The big reddish brown fox didn't scare Kagome one bit; over the year of fighting Naraku nothing really scared her that much anymore, "I said his name is Inuyasha, not dog… Inu-ya-sha."

Shippo could feel Isamu's aura rise at Kagome's words extremely offended by what he considered to be her rude behavior; the younger fox was going to have to step in if things got out of hand… which judging by the glare on Kagome's face it was about to.

"You dare speak to me that way human… I should show you how you are to respect those that are far superior to you," the large fox bared his sharp fangs and then his hands ignited with large balls of yellow fire; Kagome wasn't intimated in the least bit which enraged him more. "You sullen little human wench!"

"Isamu-sama, I wouldn't do that if I were you," Shippo could feel the danger in the air though he was more worried for the fox elder than Kagome; his warning went unheard as Isamu stepped toward the young woman and it wasn't any surprise as to what happened next.

Inu, who was in his mother's arms the entire time all this was going on, didn't like the two fox lords one bit. When his mother and the larger fox began to argue and her aura spiked Inu summoned his own power; he wouldn't let the demon anywhere near his mother without being punished… and then it happened. When Isamu lounged forward toward Kagome, Inu reacted rather violently by releasing his powers and shocking the demon back a few steps; both fox elders were quiet surprised when Isamu was thrown to the ground.

"W-What was that!? You dare attack me wench!?" Isamu jumped to his feet and charged towards Kagome, claws extended to attack, only when he tried to ignite the fire he held in his palms a minute before nothing came to life now; seeing not even a spark caused him to halt his charge. "Im-Impossible! I cannot bring forth my _Flaming Fist_," he tried several times to raise his demonic aura enough to use his powers but nothing was happening; his deadly gaze turned to Kagome, "What have you done human? What have you done to my powers?"

"I have done nothing to you demon; however, I am quite certain my son did not appreciate you trying to attack me… he is rather protective of me and no doubt he has punished you by temporally sealing your powers," Kagome pulled Inu closer to her chest to protect the baby from the dangerous demon brothers in front of her.

Finding the cause of his problem Isamu became extremely furious and released a deafening roar, and had his brother not stepped forward he would have attempted to kill the mother and child with sheer strength alone.

Osamu, who had remained silent for quite some time, was actually observing Inu since Kagome came outside… he could easily feel the power the toddler possessed and it made his stomach flip. But the initial reaction the fox demon had toward the boy was nothing compared to when Inu unleashed his power; every fiber of his being told Osamu to flee but to not seem like a coward he remained where he stood… and simply watched the scene unfold.

"You little half breed release this seal and give me my powers back!"

"Oh yes just scream at him why don't you, that will definitely get you your powers back!" Kagome turned her back to keep Inu from the sight of the older demon; she might not be afraid of him but she didn't want her innocent baby to have nightmares about crazed demons.

"Well then you tell this little abomination to do so or I'll use your dead body as fuel for my _Flaming Fists_."

"You do realize threatening me is the whole reason Inu punished you in the first place. I have no control over what he does with his abilities; he chose to take your powers rather than kill you… you should be grateful."

"Why you little bi-."

"Oi! Get away from my mate and pup you over grown rat." The new voice in the yard drew everyone's attention to the angry dog demon at the edge of the clearing.

"Oh Inuyasha, you're finally back I was being to worry… I have lunch started if you're hungry," Kagome moved away from the demon that she was arguing with as if he wasn't a threat to her at all to go greet her mate.

Inuyasha pulled Kagome into a protective embrace while checking both her and his son for any marks on them, "No I'm not hungry at the moment, maybe later after I deal with these two."

"Deal with us?" Osamu finally spoke up when he heard the loud bark of the dog demon he loathed, "And just how, may I ask, are you going to deal with us… dog."

Shippo looked from the fox elders to his family and just wanted to curl into himself; just feeling the amount of power flowing within this area he knew this wasn't a good idea.

"Oh I know just how to deal with annoying foxes like you," a slick smirk came to Inuyasha's face when his guest finally decided to make himself known to the others.

Kagome was confused by her love's confident appearance in front of their unwelcomed guests; but her confusion was quickly cleared up when their new guest stepped out of the shadows. "Hello Kagome… how have you been?"

"K-Koga, Inuyasha went to get you?"

"Yay, ole mutt-face here filled me in on the way here; and it seems we do have a bit of a problem to deal with… wouldn't you agree Osamu?"

Kagome looked back to the foxes and was quite pleased to see that their complexions had paled and their eyes were rather large in shock.

"K-Koga-sama? What… what brings you this far south?"

* * *

"Oh god I'm dead… I'm dead there's nothing I can do; Osamu will never let me court Yuu-chan now."

"Oh Shippo would you please stop pacing, you're going to ruin my floor; and really must you be so dramatic, I don't remember you being this way five years ago… must be something with your hormones kicking in."

After Inuyasha and Koga arrived on the scene, and scared the life out of the two fox elders, Inuyasha sent his family and Shippo inside so the adults could 'talk'. Knowing her mate would handle this mess Kagome went back to eating her lunch that was left when everyone first arrived; and now that his father returned Inu was more cooperative with his mother's wishes and dug in rather eagerly to his own meal. Shippo however since he watched the four older males walk farther into the forest, and the glare Isamu sent his way, he hasn't stopped pacing the sitting room in the last ten minutes… until Kagome yelled at him of course. With a pout on his lips the teen plopped down rather rudely on a guest pillow across the fire from mother and son.

"Oh don't pout like that Shippo it's really unbecoming of a young man; honestly Inu I don't know what I'm going to do if you become this moody during your teen years." Said child was not going to answer because his mouth was currently filled with rice; Kagome let out a soft giggle at his obliviousness to her conversation.

Shippo rolled his eyes not finding anything funny about his situation, "I don't know what you're talking about Kagome but it had nothing to do with helping me get back on Osamu-sama's good side… you have no idea what it's like to not be with the one you love," the minute those words left his mouth he regretted them.

The air in the room grew cold quickly and even Inu could tell something was wrong when he put his bowl down and looked to his mother ready to do her bidding. "I don't know what it's like to not be with the one I love!? Throughout our entire journey searching for Naraku I had to witness Inuyasha leave for Kikyo, my heart was ripped apart every time they confessed their love for each other; and I stayed by his side knowing that most likely when this was all over he would go with her. I endured all that to be where I am now and you will endure this little hic-up on the road to being with Yuu-chan… it's the only way to get what you want now you will sit here and eat lunch with us while Inuyasha handles things," Kagome's anger quickly faded as she handed a bowl of food to the ashamed fox.

"I-I'm sorry Kagome, I didn't mean what I just said… I'm just nervous," Shippo accepted the bowl and ate slowly trying to take his mind off of his current dilemma.

"Don't worry Shippo, Inuyasha will handle this and when has he ever let you down?"

In-between scooping spoonful's of rice into his mouth Shippo thought back to their questing days and though they fought often he couldn't think of one time Inuyasha let them down in battle; several times he was seriously injured making sure everyone else was safe. "Yeah I guess you're right… but it's just… this is Yuu-chan we're talking about."

"I've never seen you this nervous about anything, when this is all over you have to bring her here so I can meet her," Kagome looked down to her son to see how he was doing with his lunch only to frown at the mess he had made.

"I would like to do that Kagome if all goes well with their little meeting… but if Osamu-sensei doesn't like the outcome I have no chance with Yuu," falling back into a depressive state just thinking about his future fading away Shippo lost his appetite again and placed his bowl down beside him.

"Oh I wouldn't be too worried about that Shippo after all we have quite a bit of leverage on those foxes," Kagome finished whipping up the mess her toddler made and was currently trying to clean up Inu's face but the child kept pushing her hands away; finally just giving up she turned back to Shippo and seeing the confusion marring his brow she continued. "If this Osamu forbids you from courting Yuu-chan after talking to Inuyasha we can simply keep his brother from having his powers back; if you remember Inu still hasn't returned them and won't if I tell him not to… isn't that right sweetheart?" She gently brushed Inu's locks away from his eyes and wasn't in the least bit surprised to find a few grains of rice there as well… tonight was definitely a bath night.

Seeing the smile on her face after making such a threat to a very strong demon as if it was nothing made a shiver run down Shippo's spine. "Boy Kagome, motherhood hasn't made you any less terrifying than when we were shard hunting."

"I don't see why it should have when I have to protect my children from almost everything out in the world… that includes you too you know since I still see you as a son."

Shippo blushed at her comment but was really glad she was there for him now and back when Naraku was alive because without her he probably wouldn't be here otherwise, "Thanks Kagome."

* * *

"What is the meaning of this ambush dog… what have we done to justify you attacking us?" After Kagome and the boys were sent inside Inuyasha and Koga lead the fox brothers farther into the forest but still within ear shot for Inuyasha to keep his family safe.

"Keh, trust me fox when I attack you you'll know it… I don't leave threats to my family alive."

"You threating us dog!?" Despite being powerless Isamu was still ready to fight Inuyasha if he needed to.

"I don't need to threaten you when you're not much of a challenge… have a run-in with my pup did ya?" Inuyasha could smell the weakness coming from the larger fox and also sensed the lingering demonic presence of Inu's power still on his body.

"The half breed sealed my powers yeah, but I can still defeat you; and when I'm finished I'll deal with the brat and the human wench."

Inuyasha knew no matter how strong he was the fox would be no match for his pup but just the thought of anyone near his family caused the dog to bare his fangs, "Watch yourself fox… I'm not the only one who can kill you rather easily; never underestimate my woman's power."

"Pah… what could human do to me?"

"Alright enough with this crap; I didn't come all the way down here to listen to the two of you bicker like old bitches," Koga pushed off the tree he had been leaning on to draw attention to himself and quiet the others in the field.

"Koga-sama, with all due respect I must ask as to why you are here… I don't see how this meeting would require your presence," Osamu was furious at what had transpired a few minutes ago; he felt betrayed by his own student and there is no possible way he would forgive the boy. His sharp emerald eyes were constantly shifting around the clearing looking for a way to escape because his instincts were telling him this meeting would not end well for the fox clan.

"Inuyasha told me you were at odds with each other for some reason which I find rather interesting because I'm pretty sure you two have never met before… am I correct?"

"Keh, other than Shippo and those brats we bumped into four years ago I've never seen another fox before."

Osamu glared at how uncaring Inuyasha sounded, like he was too good to be in their presences, but it was his brother who spoke up, "You should be grateful you haven't dog… the combined power of our council-."

"Is apparently no match for that of a two year old pup," Inuyasha thought he'd get one more rise out of the large fox about him losing his powers to Inu.

"Enough Inuyasha, I'd like to have this matter settled quickly so I may return home," Koga frowned at his friend's actions, there was a time and place for everything but this was not the time to act like a petty child.

"Koga-sama, we were not aware that you were on speaking terms with the dog demons."

"Years ago yes the wolf demon tribe and the dogs were enemies; however, during the time of Naraku and the vicious murders of my brethren the dog brothers of the west and the wolf clan became allies."

The fox demons were very much aware of the monster known as Naraku, during his reign of terror all tests for kits in training were postponed as all member of the clan had gone into hiding to stay safe; but despite practically going underground the council members where still aware the wolves and dogs did join forces because it was necessary at the time. But it baffled them to know that the west and north were still friendly even after all these years… they didn't see the point.

"That's quite understandable, avenging your tribe and all, but why do you defend him now; Naraku is dead and the dog is a traitor."

"Why do you claim Inuyasha a traitor… what has he done?" Koga was quick to question, already feeling Inuyasha's aura rising and he didn't want the dog to bring out his deadly sword.

"He has claimed an open title in the western house and has been making decisions that are not his place; dividing land as how he sees fit and not how it should be."

"So this is all about those damn badger demons years ago!?"

"Inuyasha."

"I don't see how any of that is your business seeing as your clan does not reside on my lands, and yes they are my lands not because I claimed an open title; it is my birthright that I never claimed until my brother gave it back to me," being a half demon for all of his life, except the last four years, Inuyasha has had to work for everything he has; so to hear these foxes claiming his title was someone else's that he stole angered him greatly.

"Your brother that had wanted you dead for centuries, the bastard half demon that the great Sesshomaru could not kill… it seems to me that the western lands have grown weak since the great general's death; I believe it is only a matter of time before a war will break out."

"What!?"

"Alright I've had enough of this!" Koga could see they had shifted way off topic and he needed to bring them back if he wanted to get home in time for dinner. "Look Osamu, the reason why I'm here has nothing to do with Inuyasha himself; however, he did inform me that you have put a heavy burden on the fox kit Shippo."

"With all respect Koga-sama, but that is not your business; I am merely testing the boy to see if he is worthy enough for my daughter… but now as I can tell he is nothing but a rat and will never have Yuu."

"Oi, Shippo had nothing to do with this little ambush… it was all my idea to get you here."

Koga growled to gain everyone's attention again, "As I said I was told of what was happening and how you ordered Shippo to attack Inuyasha… I cannot have that because it will put our two lands at war; not to mention Kagome is very distressed over this whole matter and that is concerning because she is very special to me."

"Hey… watch it wolf!"

Both fox brothers were disturbed by their lord's revelation about the dog's human wench but neither voiced their disgust in fear of angering Koga. The wolf himself smirked at the warning tone in his friend's voice, everyone knew Koga was happily mated and no longer in pursuit of Kagome, but it was still fun to annoy his once rival, "Kagome… is also a very good friend to my Ayame, and if my mate is upset there will be consequences."

Isamu didn't believe Koga for a minute and decided to test his patience, "And what will happen if we decide not to call this all off… what is the worse you can do?"

"Well for one thing fox, I can throw you out of my territory; I've never been a fan of elders anyway, all of you thinking you know what is best for the clan… it would be quite easy to chase you off since my tribe has far more members than your does," Koga was very pleased to see the effect his threat had on the other two men; Osamu was extremely pale and Isamu looked like he swallowed his tongue… now apparently he had their attention that he wasn't messing around.

"Koga-sama, you can't possibly do that; our clan has inhabited the woods of the southern part of the northern lands for nearly as long as the wolves… far longer than you have been the leader of the tribe," Isamu knew he was probably crossing a line and angering Koga; but he had to voice this fact to tell the wolf that he couldn't do what he threatened.

Koga glared, offended by the fox's words, "It doesn't matter how long I've been leader of the northern wolf tribe bottom line is I am now and they will drive you off… I would seriously think about what your next move will be carefully because I highly doubt either the southern or eastern lords will help you to live on their lands."

Neither fox spoke up seeing the determined looks on both Koga and Inuyasha's faces told them they really had no choice in the matter of how to handle the situation regarding Shippo; if they chose to continue with the plan they would be risking the safety of their entire clan… they were truly stuck between a rock and a hard place.

* * *

"They what!?" When Inuyasha and Koga returned to the hut without the fox elders that immediately caused Shippo to worry… this did not look good.

After lunch, and cleaning Inu up a little better, Kagome became annoyed with Shippo's fidgeting so she sent him out on to the porch to wait for the men's return; she didn't trust that he wouldn't sneak off to spy so she threatened to slap a sutra on him if he set one paw in the grass. So the jittery young fox planted himself on the veranda but kept his eyes locked in the direction the meeting was taking place.

A short time later Inu came out of the hut with a few toys and sat by his fox-brother; having a tiny wood carving of an ogre flash in his face gave Shippo no choice but to turn his attention to the little boy. "Yes Inu, what do you want me to do with this?"

"Pay!"

"You're mother purposely sent you out here didn't she?" Though Shippo was a little annoyed that he was stuck babysitting, he couldn't say no to the little boy… and that's how the older dog and wolf found them when they emerged from the woods twenty minutes later.

"Yeah, like I said you can court that female without them interfering… they gave their word," Inuyasha smirked seeing his pup having a fierce battle happening among his toys; knowing that he carved all those wooden sculptures with his own claws filled him with pride when seeing how happy the boy was.

"You didn't kill them did you?" Shippo didn't believe for a second that Osamu would just give his permission in regards to his daughter after he clearly betrayed them… something else was going on here.

"Keh, please… like I'd waste my strength on those weaklings; Koga merely had to set them straight on a few things but they've back down," a soft smile came to Inuyasha's lips when Kagome came out of the hut with a bowl in her hands.

"I'm glad you're back and judging by the fact that I see no blood on anyone I am guessing everything went well?"

"Yeah the foxes are going to back off the runt for now."

"Well that's good; Koga would you like some lunch… I can whip you up a quick bowl?" Kagome looked to their guest while handing Inuyasha his lunch; she was not letting her mate go another minute without eating something.

"I have no doubt your food is the best Kagome but I can't stick around; Ayame has been at the den all day with five cubs and she's probably getting tired. It's going to take till dusk to get back up north so I need to get going now."

"Oh well I can understand that, Ayame definitely needs your help with all those girls; you should bring them down to visit I haven't seen the two youngest ones yet and I'm sure Inu would like a play date," Kagome completely missed when Inu cringed at the thought of playing with all girls but Inuyasha saw and patted the pup's head in sympathy.

"K-Koga, thank you for coming to talk to Osamu-sama… or whatever Inuyasha and you did to get him to change his mind about me," Shippo bowed deeply to the wolf in gratitude; never would he have thought that the man that constantly chased after Kagome during their journey would actually have enough sway over his sensei.

"Hey don't sweat it kid, fight for your woman; oh and Inuyasha, I'll probably be cashing in that favor very soon."

"F-Favor!? What favor are you talking about wolf… hey don't run off get back here!"

Inuyasha's demand fell on deaf ears since Koga had already disappeared from the yard heading back to the north and his family. "What was he talking about… I never mentioned anything about a favor," he scooped up a bit of rice to put in his mouth while Kagome thought about his question.

"Well maybe by favor he's talking about when he came down to help… you did wake them up pretty early so I'm guessing he wants something in return."

"He what!? He wants me to do something for him this wasn't even my problem; he needs to talk to the runt if he wants something. Oi Shippo… where the hell did he go?"

It seemed while Inuyasha had no clue as to Koga's terms Shippo, the ever clever fox that he was, knew right away what the wolf was asking; he also knew Inuyasha would blow his top once he figured it out and he had no intention of being the dog's target. He quickly slipped by the two adults and bolted for the village to visit his other human friends, hoping Inuyasha wouldn't chase after him; well that theory went right down the drain after he heard the dog's furious roar of anger and felt Inuyasha's aura getting closer to him… bottom line he booked it and prayed he could reach Sango's before Inuyasha got to him.

* * *

A few hours later, after dinner had been made and the village was settling down for the night no such thing was happening in the hut Inuyasha built… you would think Naraku was back with all the commotion coming from inside.

Inuyasha and Shippo were still bickering about what happened earlier that day; even with running around in the woods trying to avoid him Inuyasha caught the fox before he could reach the village… even at this late hour Shippo was still nursing the large bump on his head.

"Did you need to hit me that hard Inuyasha… I was planning to go see Yuu tomorrow but I don't want her to see this bump!"

"Keh, you deserved it kid… the wolf thinks I owe him something when this was your problem," Inuyasha, though not injured like the fox, was still sulking over this dilemma about owning the wolf a favor.

"Hey I wasn't the one who ask you to bring Koga here in the first place that was all your idea-ow! Kagome he hit me again!"

"Oh both of you stop acting like children!" Kagome was so frustrated with how the two of them were acting… they were worse than Inu and he was just a toddler. And speaking of the child he was currently splashing around in the make shift tub his mother made; Inu was adamant at lunch time that he didn't want to bathe but Kagome would have none of his temper tantrums now. Thankfully Inu had not fought when placed in the tub and Kagome was grateful that she could clean most of him without a fuss… having to deal with the two other males acting like children was all she could handle right now.

"Sorry Kagome," Shippo bowed his head in shame he was trying to act more like an adult but it seemed whenever he was around Inuyasha he foolishly acted out falling back into the childish role of the group once again. Inuyasha merely rolled his eyes but the slight drooping of his ears told Kagome he was sorry for his behavior.

"Splash, Splash!" Inu slammed his hands in the water causing it to fly out of the tub and land on the wood floor and hit his mother who was closest to him.

The moment she left the first drop of water Kagome knew bath time was over, "Okay mister that's enough, time to get dry and ready for bed."

"No, no!" Despite his pleas Kagome scooped her son out of the water and began to dry and dress him in his sleeping clothes; while this was going on Inuyasha picked up the tub and headed outside to dispose of the dirty water.

"So you plan on leaving tomorrow Shippo? Now that you can be with Yuu-chan you promise to bring her to visit yes?" Kagome pulled Inu up to her chest; despite his protest of not wanting to sleep he immediately rested his head on her shoulder… having such an exciting day with no nap really tired him out.

"Y-Yes Kagome… I'll try but first I have to convince her to come; she's never been around humans before so it might take some time."

Kagome just smiled and stood up to bring her sleeping baby to bed; she had full confidence that with Shippo's charming personality he would be able to get the female fox to come and visit.

With the room empty for the time Shippo released what felt like a victory sigh that he had been holding in all day; though he was stressed out for the past two days he knew Inuyasha wouldn't let him down.

"You know she will hound you every time you come to visit if your female isn't with you… Kagome is stubborn and gets what she wants," Inuyasha had come back into the hut and placed the empty tub in its place before taking his seat by the fire again.

"Yeah I know… hopefully I can get Yuu to come the next time I visit… that's if Osamu lets me near her."

"I told you not to worry about that fox and I meant it; he isn't going to do anything to you and if he does you'll be close enough to the wolf to get his attention… but I doubt you'll need him."

Shippo didn't say anything in response but there was an air of gratitude from the younger man towards the older; nothing more was said between the two as they allowed the sound of the crackling fire to fill the room.

* * *

Early the next morning Inu bound out of his room with a frown on his face; he woke only a few minutes before and already he could tell something was amiss in the hut. Letting his eyes scan the room the frown deepened at what he saw… or didn't rather.

"Good morning sweetheart, how did you sleep… why do you look upset baby?" Kagome looked up from the pot she was using to make breakfast when the child appeared from his room.

"Where Ippo?" Inu's question was more of a demand which drew his father's attention; Inuyasha wasn't happy with the boy's tone towards his mother.

"Shippo left early this morning to head back north… watch your tone pup."

Inu released a noise that sound similar to his father's signature 'keh' before turning to go back into his room to sulk; he had planned to have Shippo play with him since the day before he was very distracted with something the toddler had no idea about. But now hearing his older brother figure had left, without saying goodbye or barely paying any attention to him, made Inu both mad and upset.

"Inu, baby come on out here… mommy will play with you," seeing her child so sad made Kagome want to make him feel better.

"Keh, let him cool off a bit mate… he'll come out when he's ready."

Kagome turned to glare at her mate causing him to flinch, "He's upset because he's being ignored, you have been gone for a few days and he just wants some male attention since he's been stuck with his mother the whole time."

"Are you saying it's my fault that Miroku needs me to save his ass all the time… that I'm neglecting my pup?"

"I'm not saying that and don't curse when he can hear you; I'm just saying that you should spend some time with him today… maybe take him outside and play with him for a bit."

Inuyasha didn't verbally agree to her suggestion but he got up from his position by the fire and entered his son's room; Kagome heard some mumbled words and Inu respond negatively to whatever Inuyasha said. A minute later she became worried when she heard scuffling followed by a bark from her mate and a whine from her son; she was about to stand herself and go see what was going on when Inuyasha came out.

"Wh-." Kagome didn't have time to form her question because her mate shot her a glare and marched out of the hut; it took her brain a minute to process what just happened and once it did she couldn't help but laugh at what she just witnessed. The glare Inuyasha had on his face could probably have scared most of the villagers easily if they saw it; however, the fear wouldn't last long if they spotted the angry little half demon in his arms… turns out Inu didn't want to go outside and he was fighting tooth and nail literally. Inuyasha had been holding his son like a football but neither dog demon seemed bothered by this; what seemed to annoy the older dog the most was the fact that Inu had his tiny claws and baby fangs deeply embedded in his father's arm.

"Inuyasha, are you… alright?" Kagome became worried that he was hurt and possibly bleeding from Inu's attack to his arm; but when she opened the door to call him back inside she faulted when she spotted their positions in the yard. Inuyasha was crouched in the center of the yard with a frown on his face and just about a foot in front of him was Inu in the same position mirroring his father down to the glare on his face.

"Um is everything alright out here? Inuyasha should I look at your arm?"

"Keh, it's fine woman, little teeth barely broke the skin," Inuyasha didn't even unlock his gaze from the pup while he spoke to his mate; apparently the two males were in a heated staring contest and neither one were ready to back down.

"Okay… then what are you doing?" Kagome sat on the veranda to observe the two, a small groan of displeasure left her mouth when she spotted Inu's appearance up close; it would seem that the child was dropped in the grass by his father and was now covered in dirt and had blades of grass stuck in his hair… and she just gave him a bath last night too.

"Well you wanted me to spend time with the pup so I am." Inuyasha's frown deepened and he raised his upper lip to show a bit of his teeth in intimidation toward the young pup but Inu simply bared his own teeth copying his father and having no fear what so ever.

"Really? Because all I see you doing is having a staring contest… you look like two dogs getting ready to scrap it out."

"If he doesn't stop trying to challenge me we might do just that," Inuyasha crouched lower to the ground, his chest almost touching the dirt, in a pouncing position ready to strike.

"W-What!? Inuyasha you will not attack him no matter what he's doing do you understand!" Kagome jumped up and made her way down the steps into the yard to stop whatever was going to happen and protect her baby.

"Kagome stop! Do not interfere or he will never learn," a low warning growl rumbled in Inuyasha's chest trying to tell his mate to stay away; but Kagome ignored his warning not carrying if he was alpha… he would not punish their child.

When his mother stepped into the grass Inu became aware of the danger she was in, he immediately dropped his challenge toward his father and activated his powers to shield his mother.

Kagome was surprised when she bumped into an invisible wall that just suddenly appeared out of thin air, "Inu, what are you doing? Put down this barrier right now."

"Woman, he knows you shouldn't be down here so he's keeping you away… you should listen to him," seeing Inu back down caused Inuyasha to relax his pose also.

"Inu, mommy is in no danger so please put down the barrier."

Kagome's plea went unheard as Inu shook his head refusing to listen; which was rare because he always obeys her. "No."

"Alright pup we're done so you can relax… you're momma is in no danger," Inuyasha plopped down in the grass to show the over protective child that they were no longer fighting.

But Inu still refused to release the barrier, "No… hurt pup."

"Pup? Sweetheart no one is going to hurt you; daddy is finished you're safe."

"No, no!" Suddenly the shield was gone and Inu quickly approached his mother's side. "Pup… here." Inu put his tiny hand on his mother's kimono covered stomach drawing confusion from the two adults.

"Oi… are you saying you're mother is going to have another pup?" Inuyasha's question caused Kagome to panic.

"No… Inuyasha that can't be… I can't be pre-."

"Pup! Pup here." Inu was more forceful this time but didn't push his hand against her belly anymore then was necessary to get his point across… but it only caused his mother more stress.

"I'm… I'm going to have a baby?"

* * *

**Note: Sorry this is like... three months from the last chapter; this was the hardest to write since there wasn't much of anything interesting happening. After this chapter was done I realized I never should have brought this whole Shippo situation into the story because it's very boring... very boring! I'm saying it now... I hate this chapter and that's why it took so long to get out; for the months I have been gone I have been writing it... but it just went so slow so once again sorry.**

**I'm not going to put the fox council's name on here because you won't see them anymore in this story; I made put Yuu in a few chapters down the road but not for a while... Shippo is going to be gone for a while too.**

**Thanks to:  
**AliBelikov  
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FallenFan77  
Ash692  
angelface714  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
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**For reviewing... love'em, keep it up!**


	37. Rejecting one's master

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

"Oh Kagome, this is so exciting isn't it… we're both having children at the same time!"

"Congratulations my friend, you lucky dog you… this is cause for celebration! Kohaku go and retrieve the sake from the storage shed… everyone must drink!"

"Miroku, Kagome and I can't drink because of our conditions."

"Oh… yes of course my dear how could I forget, but that doesn't mean we still cannot indulge; Inuyasha please you must have a drink with me."

"Keh…"

Sango and Miroku were very excited with the news their friends just told them; they were actually more excited than the expecting parents seemed to be.

After their son's unexpected announcement a few days ago Kagome immediately went to Kaede for confirmation; it's not that she didn't believe her son it was that he was still a baby himself so there was no possible way he would know she was pregnant. So when she was inside having an examination Inuyasha was patiently waiting outside with his son trying to distract him so Inu wouldn't try and sneak into the hut.

"Oi pup, stop squirming and play with your toys; your momma's fine and Kaede is just checking on the pup."

"Inu-kun, look here show Rin how the great dog protects the villagers from the ugly ogre demon," Rin took several of the wooden toys from the ground hoping to distract the child and give his father a break; Inu, seeing the older girl playing with his toys, hopped out of Inuyasha's arms to go play.

With the child distracted now from going inside Inuyasha could relax and put his focus on what was happening inside the hut; he was just as eager to know if what Inu said was true… he had his own doubts since he couldn't sense anything inside his mate's body no matter how hard he tried. Not hearing anything of importance at the moment Kaede still seemed to be doing the exam, Inuyasha tuned back into the outside world making sure everything was okay in the village.

"Hey Rin, where's the other girl that lives with Baba?" It just dawned on him that when they arrived the child was not in the hut nor does it seem her scent was nearby for some time.

"Oh do you mean Natsumi–san? Kaede-sama sent her to the closet village to trade for herbs that don't grow around here… she should be back in a day or two."

Inuyasha was surprised that the old priestess would send the child on such a long trip alone; not that he was worried or anything but he couldn't understand how the girl could protect herself without much spiritual power, "Is that wise on Kaede's part… there are a lot of demons that live just outside of my territory."

"Kaede-sama was hesitant at first but Natsumi-san assured her that she has been on longer trips than this before and that she would be alright."

Inuyasha just shrugged his shoulders, if Kaede wasn't going to worry about her own apprentice's safety than he wouldn't either. He relaxed his stiff posture against the wall of the hut and closed his eyes seemingly about to take a nap but if you looked carefully you could see his ears twitching every so often listening for any signs of danger. With his excellent hearing he could pick up the sound of birds chirping in the trees up the hill at the shrine, in the far distance he could pick up a herd of deer most likely grazing in an open field, in the opposite direction towards the village he could hear someone chopping wood and farmers leaving their homes most likely starting the beginnings of the harvesting the crops; he could hear all this but what caught his attention the most was the high pitch laughs from his son that was a mere few feet in front of him.

When hearing the giggling only getting louder in time rather than quieter Inuyasha had to see what Rin was doing to make his son laugh so hard. "And then the big scary ogre demon let out a mighty roar that shook the village and caused its people to quake in fear," Rin picked up the wood carving and waived in the air releasing the worst attempted demon roar Inuyasha ever heard. "But the great dog had no fear and knew if he didn't stop the beast it would destroy the village and everything he held dear." At the mention of the hero Inu picked up the dog carving and waived it around letting out a roar of his own which sounded more like a high pitch yip that caused Rin and himself to laugh; a half smirk came to Inuyasha's lips when seeing how happy the boy was even while his mother was busy elsewhere.

Watching the two play, Inuyasha couldn't help but think how good of a baby sitter Rin was, having a lot of practice watching the twins she was a natural; the scene reminded him of when the group was searching for Naraku, during the night while camping Kagome would often entertain Shippo in much the same way. Looking back on those memories Inuyasha found many similarities between the young girl sitting in front of him and his mate. At the moment Rin is close to the age Kagome was when she first fell down the well, her hair style from her younger years has changed somewhat in the fact that she abandon the small side ponytail and chose to keep her onyx locks in a low bun out of the reach of hair pulling toddlers. Inuyasha also noticed that despite all the beautiful kimonos his brother had presented to her over the last four years she chose to wear a simple wrap skirt and kosode; if he hadn't seen her following around his stoic brother for over a year he would have mistaken her for an ordinary village girl. And thinking of his brother Inuyasha began to wonder just when the ice lord would make his next appearance in the village… it was about time he made his move.

"Inuyasha, would ye please join Kagome and I inside," Kaede spoke quietly so Inu wouldn't hear her and want to follow, there was quite a lot they needed to discuss before the toddler could see his mother. Inuyasha understood right away why she was being so quiet and once she went back into the hut he quickly slipped in as well after looking at Rin silently telling her to watch Inu.

Once his eyes adjusted to the dim light of the hut Inuyasha made his way over to where Kagome was sitting; he was relieved to see that she wasn't upset so maybe it wasn't as bad as he thought. "So… is she pupped or not?" He didn't mean to be blunt, and judging by how his mate flinched next to him he was too harsh, but he wasn't going to beat around the bush because he wanted to know if he was going to have another pup or not.

"Inuyasha this is a very delicate situation and your uncaring way of questioning it is not-."

"Don't… don't say that I don't care; I only want to know if Kagome is pupped so I can prepare to protect them."

Kagome noticed Inuyasha's claws digging in deeply to his hakama, she put her hand on her mate's to calm him some, "Kaede-sama, I think Inuyasha is just a little nervous about all this… it came as quite a surprised; Inuyasha said he can't even smell the baby… if there is one but Inu is adamant about it."

Kaede observed the young couple sitting before her, she knew how hard it was for them to have their first and once they found out the reason for the difficulty their chances to have more children was only a slim chance. "The reason Inuyasha can't smell the babe is because ye are very early into your pregnancy Kagome."

"So it's true then… I really am pregnant!" Kagome was more shocked with the news than anything else.

"Yes child ye are expecting… you don't sound pleased with this though?"

"No Kaede-sama it isn't that I just… I don't understand when it happened."

Inuyasha was on the same train of thought as his mate; he was already trying to play back the past two months in his mind but he couldn't pin point the exact time Kagome could have conceived. A lot happened between demon exterminating with Miroku and dealing with Shippo's issue; but yes there were several times during those months Kagome had shared her body with him… they must have been so focused on each other that they didn't realize what night it was.

"Does it matter how it happened child? The point is you are and must take care of yourself and the baby you now carry."

Well that meeting was a few days ago and now they were sitting in their friends' hut telling them the news they still couldn't believe themselves. "Yes… it came as quite a shock actually," Kagome gave a nervous chuckle while accepting the tea Sango just brewed.

Sango could sense her friend was a little bit uncomfortable about the situation, she looked to her husband for some answer but Miroku shrugged his shoulders just as puzzled. "Kagome… are you not happy about being pregnant?"

"What!? No… no of course I am happy; I love this baby just as much as Inu… it's just all so sudden really. We weren't even trying to get pregnant and with everything that has been going on since Inu was born we just aren't prepared for another child." Inuyasha could smell how upset Kagome was and so he grabbed her hand to show her support; Kagome smiled when she felt her mate hold her hand it gave her the strength she felt she lost from the situation. "But I guess we should have expected this to happen; deep down I think I was waiting to hear I was pregnant again," Kagome's other hand went to her flat stomach to caress her belly.

Sango smiled again seeing her best friend happy again, she knew everything the younger woman was going through was hard but she believed the gods wouldn't give her this second child right now if they didn't believe she couldn't handle it.

"Speaking of Inu have you told him he's going to be a big brother?"

"Well actually he was the one who told us I was pregnant; Kaede said I'm barely a month along but Inu can sense the baby clearly… even Inuyasha can't do that yet."

"Really? That's quite interesting… you cannot sense the baby my friend," Miroku took a sip of his sake, that while Kagome was explaining everything that happened Kohaku finally brought in from the shed, while waiting for Inuyasha's response.

The dog demon was by no means happy about not being able to sense his own pup, "Keh no I can't… but give it a few more days and I'll be able to."

"Then it seems your son may have a very deep connection with any of the siblings he will have; it could have to do with both parts of his heritage… I know from personal experience when I first met Kagome I knew she was a very strong priestess even before she did."

"What do you mean from personal experience monk?"

Miroku could tell he crossed a line when Inuyasha started to growl; he began waving his hands in front of his face trying to calm his friend, "No, no that's not what I meant my friend honest."

The women chose to ignore their husbands antics in favor of watching the children play across the room; well really the twins were actually playing with Inu's ever growing hair, the poor boy had no choice but to sit there and take their abuse.

"I feel so bad for him sometimes, there are no boys his age in our group of friends for him to play with; and I already know I'm having a girl since Anna was second born so he'll get no relief at home either," Kagome bowed her head not able to look at the pitiful look her son was sending her way.

"Don't worry Kagome, we know you're having a girl but there's still hope that I'll have a son and when he's a little older Inu is more than welcome to play with him."

"Thank you Sango, you're right we still have to have a little hope," Kagome felt a small presence at her side and looked over to see that her son somehow got away from the girls and was standing there. Before she could question why he was there Inu gently moved her arm to snuggle into her side; Kagome smiled knowing her baby knew she was sad and he was trying to make her feel better… that was just what she needed.

* * *

Later that night after returning to their own hut both Kagome and Inu were in bed after their exciting day; Inuyasha however could not find sleep so he was sitting out in the main room allowing his many thoughts to run wild. When Kaede confirmed the pregnancy Inuyasha was happy to have another pup but deep down the fears and doubts he has kept at bay since mating Kagome were beginning to bubble up again.

With all the time he is away from his family will he be able to keep them safe? Will Kagome be able to care for two pups alone while he's gone? And what about all the outside forces that have come to life in the past three years, Yukio is still out there somewhere not to mention Amatsu-Mikaboshi hasn't made an appearance since Inu's birth… he was bound to pop up sooner or later; thinking of all this was giving Inuyasha a headache and keeping sleep farther and farther away.

To try and calm himself down Inuyasha gently raked his fingers through his hair, something his mate did that normally worked; but it seemed that only Kagome had the magic fingers that eased his worries. "I don't have much of a choice… I've got to talk to Miroku and we've got to find a better way of making money that doesn't require us leaving for days at a time. Keh, I still have to figure out how to protect my family when I'm actually here since it seems their most in danger when I'm around," Inuyasha released a frustrated sigh at the developing situation that will undoubtedly happen soon.

Sitting there sulking was going to do nothing to help them so Inuyasha stood and made his way towards his bedroom trying to attempt to get some sleep; maybe Kagome's scent would calm his demon down enough that he could sleep. Just as he reached the door way that led to his sleeping quarters a soft tapping sound cut through the once quiet room and caught his attention causing him to stop his journey.

Inuyasha's first thought was that Inu had gotten up and was playing with some of his toys, being a half demon the child didn't need as much sleep as a normal toddler would; several times Inuyasha has caught his son up and about at night and as long as the boy was quiet and stayed in his room he was fine with it. But when the dog demon peeked into the child's room to just tell him to settle down a little bit he was surprised to find the pup still tucked in bed fast asleep; doing a quick scan in the room told Inuyasha that the boy had not moved since his mother put him to bed hours ago.

Since the child was not the cause of the sound, that has slightly gotten louder since he noticed it, Inuyasha became alert that something was close to his sleeping family. Before making a run around his territory to chase away any potential threat he popped into his own bedroom just to check his sleeping mate; with Kagome also still sleeping Inuyasha left the room to head outside. The closer he got to the door the louder the noise became to the point where Inuyasha could tell it wasn't a tapping sound but more of a rattling one… one he recognized from years ago.

"It can't be," veering from his path Inuyasha made his way over to a large storage chest he brought home a few years ago; Kagome would use it to store items they didn't use often and Inuyasha put some things in there as well.

Lifting the heavy lid and then moving around a few rolls of cloth that Kagome used to hem their clothes when needed he came upon the item he stashed at the very bottom of the chest; wrapped tightly in a special fabric similar to the robe of the fire rat Inuyasha stared at one of his most precious possessions that he had place here quite some time ago. "Tetsusaiga…"

As if reacting simply to its name the once treasured sword of the dog demon pulsed and began to violently shake in the chest causing a lot more noise than before. Inuyasha, not wanting to disturb his family's sleep, quickly lifted the blade out of the chest and placed it on the floor so he could examine it.

Five years ago when Inuyasha mated Kagome and transformed into a full demon the sword that once was an extension of his arm slowly stopped working for him. At first it was very suttle like while in battle Inuyasha would call out the specific attack he wanted to use Tetsusaiga would refuse to work; Inuyasha would then push more of his aura into the weapon and force the sword to work. Then a few months later Inuyasha noticed the wisps of wind that usually circled the blade since he mastered the wind scar were gone and he could no longer used the attack at all no matter how much power he tried to push into it.

Not long after that the blade no longer transformed into the mighty fang but stayed as the puny banged up blade it usually looked like; when Yukio and his group attacked the village Tetsusaiga was completely useless to Inuyasha as it would shock him anytime he tried to pull it out of its sheath. At that time he could still wear it on his person but slowly after he started hunting the fake priest down it began to burn his skin to the point where he got the cloth made and wrapped the sword up and placed it in the chest probably never to touch it again… that was over three years ago and now all of a sudden the blade seems to gain life again.

"What's wrong with you Tetsusaiga? You refuse to work at all and yet now you wish to be used… is something going to happen?" Inuyasha slowly unwrapped that blade watching carefully for any sign the sword would stop its' violet shaking, which did occur once the blade was completely visible.

Seeing the sword still brought questions from the dog demon, "Tetsusaiga…" Sensing no pulse from the blade like minutes before Inuyasha thought it was alright to pick it up and examine more closely the cause to its' sudden activation; but the minute his finger touched the sheath a spark of power shot out and zapped his hand. "Ouch… what the hell!?"

Now enraged at what just happened Inuyasha carefully rewrapped the sword and tossed it back into the chest not bothering to see where it landed inside but he made a mental note to go and speak with Totosai about what happened; he really didn't want to involve the old smith since he was a pain when Inuyasha first told him the sword wasn't working, but if the blade decided to change its' mind the old man would know what to do.

* * *

"How would I know what you did to my precious sword, with the way you used to swing it around it doesn't surprise me that you broke it… I thought it would have stopped working years ago."

"It did stop working years ago old man and I had nothing to do with it!"

"Are you sure? Well you should have brought it to my attention then maybe I would have been able to fix it."

"Agghhhh! I did bring it to you then and you said you couldn't fix it… have you been breathing in this sulfur too much because I think it's melting your brain." Inuyasha knew when he left his home this morning that this day would be stressful but he seemed to forget how annoying Totosai could be; at that moment the dog demon was seconds away from strangling the old smith demon.

"Oh you did… hm I can't seem to remember it," despite not facing the younger demon Totosai still managed to duck when Inuyasha swiped at his head.

"Look can you at least look at the sword to see if there is any difference from last time; maybe there is a clue as to why it stopped working."

Totosai stopped breathing fire on the piece of metal he was working on to look at his guest, "Why, what stopped working?"

"Ah! Weren't you listening you idiot!?"

"Master Inuyasha please don't be mad at Totosai-san, he is one of your great father's oldest friends and his mind tends to wonder quite often in his old age."

"Keh Myoga, aren't you about the same age and you seem fine," Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest to keep himself from hitting the smith; his attention was now focused on the small flea demon that was sitting on his shoulder.

"In light of the glorious news you've told me today I will chose to ignore that comment about my age my lord," Myoga couldn't seem to contain his excitement within his tiny body and was jumping from side to side with a goofy, drunk like, smile to his face.

"I don't see how Kagome and I having another pup should make you so happy."

"But my lord I just adore little ones… why I remember when you were first born, yes it was very tragic that your father died but you were a very handsome child; and with a beautiful mate like lady Kagome all of your children will be breath taking… not to mention their blood will be divine."

"I've already warned you about that flea."

"Yes I know and I have not sampled the young lord's blood at your request."

"Feh yeah right you're just scared Inu will kill you if you bite him… you aren't fooling anyone old man."

"That young woman is having another one of your brats huh boy?" Totosai had been silent while the other two demons spoke but at the mention of children he couldn't stop the question from leaving his old dry lips.

Inuyasha bit back his growl, "Yeah Kagome's giving me another pup… we're having a girl."

"Oh a female this time, well maybe she won't be as much trouble as that boy you've got."

"Heh, what Totosai means is that young Inu is very spirited my lord; the boy is much like you were when you were young," Myoga could see the anger returning to Inuyasha's face and so he tried to calm his lord down before he let his temper loose on the poor old man… who simply didn't know when to keep his mouth shit it seemed.

"Feh, I know what I meant Myoga and if I meant to call the boy spirited I would have; still a child and yet he has quite a reputation among the strongest demons," Totosai dropped the piece of metal he was working on into the tub of water next to him; the rapid cooling process left the cave in a haze of thick steam that clung to Inuyasha's clothes making them feel heavy and uncomfortable.

"Keh my pup can handle any demon that tries to come after him… if you can't figure out why Tetsusaiga awoke for that brief time than it was a waste of time to come all the way up here," Inuyasha stood and straightened his clothes before reaching down for the sword in question.

"It was not a complete waste my lord… you were able to give us the great news of lady Kagome expecting."

"Yeah sure… you know if you came to the village more often you could find these things out on your own," Inuyasha's teasing of the tiny blood sucker was short lived however when he reached to grab his sword and it suddenly disappeared before his eyes. "What the hell!?"

"I never said I didn't know what was wrong with the sword; of course I know what is wrong because I made it!" Totosai somehow was faster than Inuyasha and snatched the blade up to examine it himself.

"Wha… I just asked you if you knew what was wrong with Tetsusaiga and you said no!"

"I never said such a thing, why would I," Totosai completely ignored Inuyasha's ranting and pulled the sword from its sheath and began to polish it.

"Agh! Talking to you is like talking to a wall!"

"Uh Totosai why don't you just simply tell lord Inuyasha what you mean," Myoga already sensing the tension within his master he had already hopped off Inuyasha's shoulder and was standing on a small shelf close to the entrance of the cave… little coward was already planning his escape should it come to blows between the two larger demons.

"It's quite simple actually and I'm surprised you didn't see it before boy; Tetsusaiga is reacting to you the same way it does to your horrible older brother," Totosai put his lips together and blew fire to strengthen the blade and reseal the cracks in the fang.

"So it's true then… it rejected me because I am a full demon," Inuyasha already figured that was the cause long ago but confirming it out loud didn't make it hurt any less.

"No you idiot it's not because you are a full demon, if that was the case than your father would never have been able to use it… honestly do you use that brain?"

Inuyasha glared, "Well what else would it be, Sesshomaru is a full demon and that's why it attacked him I was only able to touch it because of my human blood."

"You really don't use your head do you? Your blood has nothing to do with it… Tetsusaiga rejects you because you no longer need it."

"What are you talking about old man!? I've needed the sword's power plenty of times in the past couple of years; when the damn humans invaded the village and nearly killed us I needed Tetsusaiga more than anything and because it refused me Kagome was in serious danger!"

"M-My lord please calm down," Myoga could feel Inuyasha's demonic energy rise with his anger and the tiny flea really wanted to leave but knew he couldn't.

"Well you obliviously didn't need the sword since you escaped and your woman is fine as well… how did you get away from the humans boy?"

Totosai's question halted Inuyasha's angry rant by making him focus on the answer, "Well I… I transformed; Miroku told me I transformed into a huge dog demon and I over powered the miko's power that kept me trapped."

"So then you didn't need Tetsusaiga… case closed."

* * *

"Inuyasha, is something on your mind; you've been really quiet since you got back from Totosai-san's… did something happen?" Kagome was very concerned when her mate came home late that afternoon, he didn't say a word about his trip and just sat in his position around the fire pit in deep thought for a long time; when he barely touched his dinner and wouldn't join in on the conversation she became worried.

"W-What? No, everything is fine Kagome… I just got some unpleasant news from the old man that just isn't sitting right with me," Inuyasha still couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Tetsusaiga was refusing him; with all they had been through together for it to start rejecting him simply because he was stronger than he was before upset him a bit… though he would never admit it.

"Do you want to talk about it? You can tell me anything you know."

"Yeah I know mate… I just don't want to burden you while you're pupped. Kaede said you shouldn't be stressed… it's nothing to worry about I can handle it."

Kagome frowned and put down her sewing about to protest not liking his answer but she knew it would be no use to try and reason with him because once he had his mind set on something it was rather hard to change it. She also happened to notice that when he entered the hut hours ago he had in his possession what looked like a sword tightly wrapped up in a cloth; she first thought maybe Totosai had given him another sword but really what would that purpose be? Tetsusaiga had always been enough to handle any situation they found themselves in and should the battle turn in their enemy's favor Tetsusaiga was always able to adapt and turn the tables… so there was no reason for a new blade.

But when Inuyasha sat by the fire and placed the sword by his side, which Kagome noticed was on the opposite side of where she could see, but the hilt was still visible passed his thigh; and when it was placed there the cloth was jostled allowing Kagome to identify the weapon. _'Tetsusaiga? But why would he take Tetsusaiga to Totosai's, he always hated when the elder would criticize him for not cleaning the sword properly.' _ Despite what he wanted Kagome did become worried but she tried to calm herself without her mate noticing

But not that the sword was brought into play it drew to Kagome's attention that she actually hadn't seen the sword in quite some time. Now in her defense she has been very busy in the last few years what with being a wife and taking care of a very active two year old, and she hadn't actually seen her mate in a real battle in some time since she had been at home; but thinking back on all the times he had returned home not once could she remember his trusted weapon at his side.

"Inuyasha is…" Kagome stopped her question when his eyes locked with hers and she could see the defeated and rejected look on his face; she hadn't seen that look in years and it upset her to see him in so much pain. "Never… never mind, I made some dango earlier would you like some for dessert?" She gave him a gentle smile to try and ease some of his pain.

At the mention of a sweet treat Inu, who had been across the room playing with his toys dropped everything and ran to his mother's side waiting patiently. "Tweat?"

Seeing her eager little puppy scamper over caused Kagome to giggle at his cute expression, "Yes you may have some also sweetie," Kagome stood and headed over to the small cabinet that she stored food supplies in and pulled out the plate of sticky sweet dumplings; once Inu got his snack he moved over to sit on his cushion beside his father who still had yet to answer his mate.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome slightly lifted the plate offering the food without asking again.

"Uh no thanks Kagome… I'm not really that hungry," seeing his woman so cheerful because of their son made Inuyasha feel a little better than when he got home.

"You hardly touched your dinner… did you want me to make you something else?" Kagome felt a little guilty because she had made curry that night, she knew her mate hated spicy food after watching his reaction when her mother made it; but she couldn't help it the baby wanted something spicy to eat, so to balance it out she made a different pot that wasn't as hot for her boys… Inu didn't seem to mind it but maybe his father did.

"No I'm fine woman and you need to be resting," to prove his point Inuyasha stood taking all the plates and bringing them to the wash basin to clean.

"Inuyasha, you don't have to do that I'm perfectly capable of doing the dishes… it won't hurt the baby."

"Kaede said you need to take it easy while you're carrying and what kind of mate would I be if I didn't help out a little… I don't mind," what Inuyasha didn't say was that the more small jobs he did around the hut the less time his mind would focus on the Tetsusaiga problem. Once the dishes were clean and put away Inuyasha decided that he couldn't just sit and think by the fire or he would worry Kagome so he moved over to the wood pile and picked up a small block and his carving knife; he happened to notice a few of Inu toys were beginning to chip and crack with how often he played with them and being the loving father that he was he decided to replace those and make so new ones the boy had never had before.

Seeing her mate perk up a bit, even if she didn't know he was covering up his worries, relieved Kagome enough that she could start back up on her own work again; and Inu, once he was finished his dessert, noticing his father was carving something hopped up and walked over to see what he was making.

Inuyasha just finished carving a small pup for the great dog toy Inu had when the breeze that was coming through the window suddenly changed direction and alerted him of the village's latest guest. Having been mated to Inuyasha for over five years Kagome knew all his mannerisms even without him saying anything; from the corner of her eye Kagome spotted when he tensed, his ears twitched picking up the outside world and she wasn't mistaken when his nose flared and his chest expanded filling with air and the scents her dull human nose could never pick up.

"Inuyasha, what is it? Is someone out there?" Hearing the worry in his mother's voice put Inu on alert, his little head was whipping back and forth trying to find the scent his father seemed to have caught.

"It's Sesshomaru, though I don't know why he's here so late; he seems to be hiding in the woods… I'll go check it out, you and the pup stay here."

"Be careful and if he asks you to go to the west...," Kagome left her threat unfinished but with the glare she sent his way Inuyasha understood clearly.

"Yes I know, trust me I have no intention of going back there." With this solid promise and a nod from his mate Inuyasha departed from the hut and took off deeper into the woods to find out why his older brother was lurking in the shadows.

* * *

"Masanori… come and join us at the fire… it is quite rude."

After a long journey by sea and nearly seven day trip back on land the group of spiritual men were resting in an inn at one of the larger villages along the coast; Yukio had offered a spiritual cleansing of the inn in exchange for room and board and their continental guests were quite impressed with his power.

The group has been staying in the town for two days now and the youngest member of the group was becoming restless with no activity. "I shall decline Yukio-san, I believe your honored guests don't think much of me," Masanori didn't miss how the strange monks would whisper in their native language whenever he was close; and he was not ignorant to the glares they sent him while crossing the sea… they wanted no part of him and he them.

"They think little of you because of your distance; if you joined us and attempted to speak with them they may change their minds."

With his back to his mentor Yukio completely missed when Masanori rolled his eyes at his suggestion, "Give me some time to clear my head… I still have not settled from our trip."

"Very well… but don't keep us waiting."

Yukio was extremely angry upon returning inside the large sitting room they were given by the owners of the inn. His entrance caught the attention of the group of men that were eating that night's meal; just the looks they gave him were enough of a question. "Please forgive my student, he still is in great pain from his injuries," Yukio bowed asking for forgiveness and hoping they would accept his lie; a few words were spoken between the men and from what he could understand they bought it barely. Taking up his place among the group the fake priest couldn't keep his head in the conversation they were having; he just couldn't get over his pupil's completely different demeanor since they first left for the continent years ago.

For week after their failed attempt at purifying the dog demon infested village Yukio was certain that despite their successful escape Masanori would die from his injuries inflicted by the wolf demon. Yukio was going to simply leave the younger man either in the forest of a village they came across; but as the days passed and no other members of their group came out of the shadows he realized they had lost faith in the cause and all he had left was this poor deformed boy.

So, determined not to lose his last loyal follower Yukio's sole purpose for the next few months was to nurse the boy back to health. It was touch and go for a long time but by the time they reached the most southern tip of the island Masanori would live but he would most likely not be able to walk again; the claw marks were so deeply embedded within his skin that even after they had completely scarred over he could hardly move without feeling extreme pain shoot throughout his body.

Yukio could see the boy lose all hope to the point where he just remained in his bed all day; this didn't sit well with Yukio because he planned to catch the next boat to the continent… there was a powerful group of monks that resided there and he wanted their help to completely cleanse their world of every demon. Coming to the decision to finally abandon his old life and the boy in this coastal town Yukio planned to leave the following morning. He got quite the shock the next day when Masanori came out of his chambers as if nothing had ever happened in the last few months with him; when questioned about his miraculous recovery Masanori just shrugged and asked what their next plan of action was. At the time since Yukio was getting what he wanted he didn't question the miracle or his strange behavior; but now that they were so close to getting their revenge he didn't want the boy's odd actions to ruin everything he had built.

The chatter in the room grew louder pulling Yukio from his thoughts and back to the men he was sitting with; all the food had been pushed to the side of the room for the servants to take and the group of men were currently huddled around a large map deep in conversation. Yukio could barely make out a few words of what they were saying but it was quite obvious as to what they were talking about just by the way they were gesturing towards the map.

When one of the men tapped the spot on the map that had a large red circle painted on it Yukio knew he should speak up, "Yes that particular location is the village that we last fought the dog and wolf demon and failed miserably to destroy them; the priestess we had was inadequate in handling the purification… that is why we sought your help." The men, fooled by Yukio's praise of their power, nodded their heads in agreement and went back to examining the map taking notes of the rocky terrain and how to go about moving across the lands without much trouble.

While all this was going in the main room Masanori shut himself up in his chambers; despite his promise of joining the group he had no intention of doing so. Having spent years with these men he realized what a fool he was to be so devoted to Yukio's way of thinking; he was nothing but a fake and it was his entire fault for Masanori's injuries in the first place. If Yukio had been a true priest they could have easily taken that village and Kagome would have been his; but no, for months after the battle he was in so much pain that several times he prayed to the kami to take his life. Years later he, after his miraculous recovery, he couldn't believe how weak he once was… it sickened him how a simple demon attack could bring him that low.

Masanori pushed open the shoji to look out into the cast darkness that was this town; with barely any moon light it looked like the sky was engulfing the earth in its void. "I grow tired of this place… and these idiots."

He pulled out a small parchment of paper from his haori and unravelled it on the small table in his room; within the scroll was his own map of the land but the markings etched on the paper were not the same as Yukio's. This particular map was very special as it held a deep magic that no mere human could possibly understand or be able to use… but Masanori was no mere human anymore. The man placed his fingers upon an ancient symbol on the map, and when he ran them across it began to glow a deep purple; in the darkest corner of the room an eerie mist appeared out of nowhere followed by two piercing hallow eyes that glowed the same color as the symbol did. The beast attached to those eyes refused to take another step into the room, not liking the fact that it was cramped in such a small space; the sharp fangs it bared didn't seem to scare Masanori though, he barely moved since the shadowy figure appeared.

"If you are so displeased than do something about it." Masanori watched as the beast turned its massive head toward the door where the noise from the men in the other room was barely being smothered by the closed door.

A growl of pleasure left the creature as it crept toward the chatter; seeing this Masanori raised his hand halting the beast. "Stop! They are to be left alone… for now. If you're hungry there are plenty of souls in this village you can feast on; have your fill and then return here." Upon his permission the beast flew out the open shoji into the unsuspecting sleeping village leaving Masanori alone once more.

"Maybe this will get those fools moving, I'm tired of staying in this town and if I can't leave on my own I should motivate them to do so; it's been quite some time but… I'm coming for you my precious Kagome… wait for me."

* * *

**Note: I know... I know I said I wouldn't take so long with this chapter but I have a good excuse. Last month (October) I had an older family member staying at my house for most of the month after his 10th knee surgery and I had to take care of him so I didn't have much time to write anything; when he left around the 21st is when I started writing this up. So please excuse me but family comes first. Just a heads up I don't know when the next chapter after this will be posted, I work in retail and it's our busiest time of the year starting this coming week so I will basically be living at my job till like after Christmas... but I'll try and work on the chapter but can't really promise anything.**

**I'm going to let you guys think what you want with this chapter... it's mostly fluff and I just threw Masanori and Yukio in at the end because I didn't want you to forget they're still around. Have any questions don't forget to ask me. **

**Another note! If anyone is feeling creative and would like to draw some fan-art for either Seeking the future or its prequel Seeking power I'm giving you permission! I would love to see what anyone can come up with; being an artist myself I love looking at other peoples designs and ideas. Just shoot me a message and tell me where you posted it so I can see(deviantart or any other art site). I would also give you a personal thank you on the next chapter and possibly (if I'm not extremely busy) draw one person a little something from either story!**

**Thanks to:  
**mangamichelle12  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
Siberian tigers  
Ldsprincess  
S0me18skittles  
AliBelikov  
AiydanWarrior  
DemonChild94  
FallenFan77  
**For reviewing... love'em keep it up!**


	38. Sesshomaru's past and present part 1

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

**Before you read: There will be a very long author's note at the end of this because I couldn't get everything I wanted to express in this chapter. **

**Something that must be said before you read though is that this chapter and it's second part is heavily leaning towards the lives of full dog demons and so there are a few words as humans that we may take offense to. The big one being 'bitch', to humans this a derogatory term towards women and some stories I've read on here feel it is the same for dog demons as well. I however go for the more beast like instincts when writing about dogs and I believe they would refer to females as 'bitches'; now you might not feel the same way and that's okay but this is how I see it so if you see the word 'bitch' throughout the two chapters... and you will... just remember they are just talking about female dogs as they see them not as a derogatory term for women.**

**Now on to the chapter... that has taken me months to write and it's still not complete! Heh... heh.**

* * *

In his many years of living, and we're talking about nearly eight centuries, Sesshomaru thought he knew everything one possibly could about humans; little did he know that what he had gathered was nowhere near what made up the beings known as humans… and it took him all those eight centuries to figure that out.

While being a young pup and living with his, crazy than anything else, mother atop her sky palace, that still to this very day he can't understand why it is a floating castle since she's a dog demon and not a bird, he was easily able to observe the weak creatures' strange behaviors; as first he demeaned them unworthy of his attention but after so many years doing nothing among the clouds he figured why not have a hobby to pass the time until he was old enough to leave. So during his decades of watching them grow and evolve Sesshomaru had some questions he was determined to have answered… but that would mean he would have to rely on the only parent that was around at the moment.

"Mother, why do humans live in the rock out coves or the mountains when they can simply build more suitable homes; and why do they fight over such trivial things like food when there seems to be plenty?" The icy glare the female dog demon sent her pup was not unexpected by Sesshomaru but he held his ground.

"Why ask such a question Sessy? The humans should be of no concern to you." His mother simply waived him off and walked out of the room.

He was extremely angry but since she didn't answer his question Sesshomaru refused to ask her anything else because it would be a complete waste of time, and he was not one to repeat himself when he knew he would get the same result every time, and he didn't wish to anger her; luckily his father would be visiting soon and he could get the answers he sought from him.

His father, the newest Taisho of the west, spent most of his time defending his lands from those that wish to over throw his command; to Sesshomaru's knowledge a rather annoying group of panther demons have been causing a great disturbance as of late… so needless to say his sire didn't visit much. Not that Sesshomaru needed him mind you no the young pup was much like his mother, though he would never admit it, in the fact that he didn't need anyone by his side. Despite how busy he was the lord would still visit his pup to make sure he was growing into a fine, strong, demon that would someday rule the west himself; and when his sire did visit every few years Sesshomaru would appease his curiosity about those that lived upon the land.

"Father, why do you allow humans to live on your lands?"

Toga was very surprised when his young son first asked this type of question; leaving him with the bitch for his younger years always bothered the older dog because he feared the boy would turn out just like his mother. So when he first starting asking about the humans below them he was speechless, "Well… why do you ask my son?"

Sesshomaru would have probably shrugged his shoulders if he didn't think it was too undignified of him, "I am just curious… I have observed them for some time and have come to the conclusion that they are weak creatures; even more so than animals, so why do they exist… what is their purpose?"

"Must everything have a purpose my son? The kami do not need to give a reason to create, they simply do as they please, what you really should be questioning is why you are here."

Sesshomaru wasn't pleased that his father ignored his question by posing another; but he did take a minute to think about how he would respond… this clearly was a test he intended to pass. "Is that not obvious my purpose in this life is to grow stronger and take my rightful place as the lord of the west by over throwing you my father."

The pup's response didn't surprise him really because that was the same mind set he had when he was a pup only his was a much grander scale; Toga was very brash when he was younger and did a lot of stupid things that nearly got him killed but through all those experiences he grew wiser and was able to call the west his own. Now centuries later he realized how foolish he was as a pup and how his own kin would go down the same path; the older dog demon wished he could instill his wisdom on the boy but Sesshomaru was still too young to be able to completely gain all the knowledge he could bestow upon him. "That is your goal my son… but tell me once you do this what will your purpose be after; you will have centuries to live… what will you do?"

That question stumped Sesshomaru for quite some time; his father was not helpful in the least and only caused more questions to arise. Not wishing to do so but having no choice Sesshomaru went to his mother again, "Mother, what is our purpose?" Watching her carefully to see if she would lash out at him Sesshomaru waited for her answer.

The lady of the sky castle was by no means a kind demon, she held no motherly affection for the pup she bore nor had any interest in how he was raised. And though she would much rather live alone in her beautiful palace away from all others, as she was a solitary creature, she would suffer the duty bestowed upon her by the lord of the west. Just thinking about the young lord put a bitter taste in her mouth; to this day she still wishes she had not been at the river the night of the full moon; not only had she been in heat that night but after their rutting he respectfully informed her that he had no intention of having a mate. Now years later not only was she stuck with a pup that reminded her of that dreadful night but she had to look into the face of the male who rejected her every day in the form of her son… and the worst part was the bastard would show up every few years to make sure his heir was still alive. As if she would allow the annoying boy to starve to death… no she wouldn't give him that satisfaction; so with all this going on in her life she had every right to lash out every once in a while… it wasn't like the boy wouldn't heal.

"What do you mean 'What is our purpose?' That is the stupidest question I've ever heard, you know what your purpose is… you are to become strong and over throw your sire and take your rightful place as lord of the west."

"Yes mother, I am aware of this fact, but what I'm asking is what will happen after that? What do I do with my life after I have accomplished this?"

Sesshomaru's normally stoic expression was whipped clear off his face when his mother released a bark of laughter, "Why you've barely grown into your fangs and you think you are the strongest demon in the land already? That over confidence will get you killed rather quickly boy; the purpose you will have for the rest of your long life once you become the lord of the west is trying to not be killed by other demons that will want your title. There will be all sorts of demons that will come after you at your weakest times to claim the west… and you will need to defend it or you will die."

Sesshomaru would never admit it but his mother's words scared him; he didn't want to die nor did he want to spend the rest of his life fighting for the lands that were his birthright… that day he vowed to never be weak again.

"Father… I wish to leave this place to begin my training."

The next time Toga visited the pup several years later that was not the request he expected to get, "You are still very young Sesshomaru, there is no need for you to start now; enjoy the time you have as being a pup… even if your mother is a bit strange." Toga knew the bitch that birthed his heir had wanted him to make her his mate but during that night of rutting he had no intention of it. The deepest part of him that controlled those instincts felt nothing for her other than she was an excepting female in heat and he sadly couldn't control his urge to breed; he knew she was angry with him even till this day that he wouln't claim her and so when he visited the boy he made it a point to stay as far away from her as possible.

"I have come to the decision that my time is up here father; if I am going to over throw you one day and not be killed myself than I must start my training now."

Though Toga would have liked the pup to be a little older he wouldn't deny the boy's adamant request, "Of course my son, but I must warn you there are very powerful demons that roam these lands and I will not always be able to look after you… are you sure about this?"

Sesshomaru didn't have to think about it he was determined to get stronger and he knew that wouldn't happen if he remained in his mother's home; he would become stronger and one day take control of his father's lands… and then he would figure out what he would do with the rest of his life after. "I am certain father."

* * *

Sesshomaru never thought he would regret those words more than the first year he travelled with his father. He had thought his sire would train him properly to prepare him for what the world would have in store but Toga did no such thing.

"My sire never trained me, I had to learn to become stronger by fighting those that were stronger than me; if I were to give you all my trade secrets now how fair would that be for me when you challenged me for my title." Toga simply smirked which angered the boy because he wasn't getting what he wanted right away. "Sesshomaru… my son, how will you ever learn when I'm gone? If you can't find your own path now than I can't allow you to defeat me just yet."

Sesshomaru didn't understand his father's cryptic words but he learned fast not to rely on the older dog. Being a demon meant he didn't need much sleep but when he rested the first time with his father nearby he woke up several hours later alone; in a panic he took off in search of his old man only to find him miles away relaxing under a tree.

"Well it's about time you showed up… I was beginning to wonder if you would ever be able to track me down."

"What was the meaning of that father? Why did you leave and travel this far away?" Sesshomaru was shaking in rage at the fact that his father would just up and leave him there alone without any protection or knowledge of the lands themselves.

"How will you ever learn to track and use your most powerful sense without some sort of guide, with you living in the castle your whole life so far you have had no need to use your instincts to survive… now you will; you asked to be trained so I will train you how I see fit and right now your more like a stumbling blind pup than anything else."

Well that was probably the last time Sesshomaru had a decent night sleep in fear that his father would leave again and he wouldn't be able to track him down… the young demon was beginning to question really just which one of his parents was the truly crazier one.

Though his father's _training_ was a bit odd Sesshomaru could see why it needed to be done, the old man was right, living in the palace since his birth had truly effected his ability to be a true demon… this was the first time he realized that the vow he made years before had been broken and it angered him how weak he really was.

While travelling with his father he witnessed on several different occasions how other demons treated their young and from the moment they took their first breaths the young were basically alone; they had to fend for themselves even with their mothers close by. Sesshomaru also began to observe the human species once again, with being upon the land now he was able to watch them more clearly and he could easily see the differences between them and demons.

"Father, why do the humans coddle their young, it will only hinder them in the end; and I have noticed that the males only mate with one female and remain to raise the young… how strange." Sesshomaru waited for his father's response while sitting by the fire, the two were resting for the night just outside of a newly built human settlement.

Since the last time he watched them decades ago humans have evolved and crawled out of the caves they once lived in and have started building mud houses… it was a step up at least from their old dwellings.

Toga snapped another branch and threw it into the fire, "Humans are far weaker creatures my son, their young are unable to protect themselves till later in their short lives so their sires must care for them until then. As for why their males remain with one female I cannot answer that because I am not sure myself… humans are a mystery even to one such as myself who has lived for many centuries; there are many in both our world that chose one female to remain and breed with."

"Are _Inu yokai_ not one of them? I have seen wolves chose one mate… are we the exception?"

"No," Toga knew his son was hinting at his own situation and as to why he didn't mate the bitch. Toga himself didn't know the answer to that one, even when he reached the age of maturity for a dog demon his body had no real urge to mate with a female, he was too focused on obtaining his goal of world domination to worry about siring a pup at that time; and so as a result it was purely built up instinct for centuries that caused him to seek out the female that night.

Becoming the new Taisho a mere five decades before Toga was patrolling his lands one night after rumors of a rogue bear demon was trying to claim his northern border for its own; it was by accident that he stumbled upon the bitch by the stream but the second he got a whiff of her pungent scent he knew there was no chance of him just leaving. It was like his hormones kicked into overdrive and with her in heat it made him crazed with lust and the urge to breed was too strong.

To say he remembered the rest of that night would be a lie, the rut took control of him completely, and the next thing he knew it was the next afternoon and the female was bathing in the river again. Not really wishing to have a conversation with her Toga reached for his clothes and made to retreat into the forest, with his head now clear he realized that what he did was foolish and the bear demon was still out there; he tried to leave the clearing quietly but the female picked up on his movements and she wasn't going to allow him to leave without answering her questions.

"You did not mark me." Her question sounded more like a statement and it was the one thing he wished she wouldn't have noticed.

"I had no intention of doing so."

"What?"

Toga heard the sloshing of water as the female made her way back to the shoreline; there was no doubt in his mind that she was angry by his words, he turned to face her because though he wouldn't mate her he would still give her the respect she deserved as a female of his species. "As I said I have no intention of marking you." Now staring at her Toga was not even flustered that she stood naked before him which proved that last night was truly a onetime instinctual thing… this female was nothing other than a possible provider for his heir.

"You will not mark me? After last night I am carrying your pup no doubt and yet you refuse to claim me."

"If you are carrying my heir we will know within two nights time; I will provide you with a place to remain safe while you are breeding but I have no instinctual urge to claim you… I am sorry. If you chose to seek out another male after birthing my pup I will not hold that against you."

"You bastard! I never want to see you again!" With her outburst the female transformed and took to the sky… but the damage was done as two days later Toga found her hovering close by and by the change in her scent she was indeed pupped. As promised the western lord gave her the sky palace to call her home and he remained close by until she gave birth but respected her wishes as to stay away.

Still to this day decades later Toga couldn't understand why he didn't have the urge to claim her; she was a very beautiful female and her scent didn't bother his nose but it was like his body knew something was out there waiting for him and so that was why he refused to claim her. "In regards to your mother and I… it is complicated my son and in time I think you will understand."

After being with his father for several years now his cryptic statement didn't confuse Sesshomaru much anymore because he knew he would never get a straight answer until the old man was ready. He understood the decision not to rush into mating, Sesshomaru himself was barely on the cusp of puberty so he had no intention of finding a female to breed with yet; but his father had already bred and sired a pup so in Sesshomaru's mind he should have mated his mother. But it wasn't like the young pup could force the much stronger dog to do something he didn't want so he just pushed the topic from his mind as foolish pup thought… little did he know this would affect him later on in his life.

* * *

Five full centuries have passed since Sesshomaru's birth and he is a young adult now and in his mind he is ready to challenge his sire for the title of lord of the west. For some time now he believed himself prepared enough to stake his birth right but it seemed his father had disappeared completely. For several years now Sesshomaru noticed his sire would vanish for long periods of time only to return and act as if nothing happened; in the beginning Sesshomaru didn't care what he did having been used to his father disappearing for centuries. But now that he was ready to challenge the lord and he was nowhere in the area… now that Sesshomaru needed his presence it was extremely troublesome that he couldn't be located.

"Father, where have you been disappearing to?"

"Since when have you become interested in what I do?" Sesshomaru's sharp senses were able to catch that even though his father was fast to respond he still tensed at the younger demon's question… it was clear that he was hiding something.

"Father I am ready to claim my birth right… I will defeat you." Sesshomaru's confidence was shaken a little when his father simply chuckled.

"You think you are ready? If you think you are ready than you are not my son; thinking you are ready to challenge me is your weakness and if you did now you would lose." Toga then transformed into his true demon form and took off into the sky leaving the younger male to think over what he said.

Sesshomaru was furious that he was rejected, for centuries he has trained and pushed himself to strengthen his body to prepare him for his fate but now it seemed it was all for nothing; his father was denying him his right to lay claim to the west. Now if he were still a pup Sesshomaru would have brushed off his father's remark but being the adult he was now and all the hard work he put into his training, not to mention the fact that it had been ingrained into his head since his birth by his mother that he needed to become stronger than his sire, the young demon was not going to let the lord just up and run off once again.

It took him some time to locate the older demon, seeing as how his father had many more years against him in covering his scent and Sesshomaru also had to make sure he remained downwind as to not be detected by his father's sensitive nose… if he did not take all this into account tracking his sire would be useless. And by doing this it took Sesshomaru several days to locate his father, the lord had travelled very far to the south of his territory and once the younger demon found his exact location he was quite surprised to see where his father had turned up.

The area was in the far southeast part of his father's lands rather close to the borders of both two territories which is what confused Sesshomaru, why would his father be that far away from the safety farther inland of the west unless he was planning some kind of take over… but if his sire was planning an attack then why wouldn't he have told him. His nose told him the area was heavily populated with humans which didn't surprised Sesshomaru since over the last few decades the humans had be expanding into their lands.

Human villages had begun to appear every several years and the growth within them far surpassed that of the demon population in the area so it would only be a matter of a few more centuries before the number of humans out populated the demons if nothing was done to control their breeding. Maybe that was why his father was in the area, speaking with the human lord, it always put a smirk on Sesshomaru's face every time he heard a human clan lay claim to lands they think are theirs when in reality it all belonged to his father and soon it would be his; his father may have been warning the humans that he would have to step in should they continue to try and advance on his lands.

When Sesshomaru finally spotted his father the other demon was neither with a fellow demon planning conquest of a neighboring land nor was he warning the humans in the area about their expanding packs as his son thought he would be doing… with those ideas out of his mind Sesshomaru couldn't possibly figure out why his father was just standing in the open field.

His question was answered when a few minutes after he arrived he caught the scent of something he never thought he would, "What would a breeding human be doing this far away from the human settlement?"

A young woman appeared from the other side of the clearing and judging by her state of dress and how she gracefully walked across the grass she was of higher class than the other humans he'd come across in the last few years. A glare came to his face when once the woman was in full view his father slowly approached, Sesshomaru's sharp hearing made it easy to hear everything the two were saying.

"My lord what brings you here so shortly after your last visit?" The woman reached out to brush her hand against the breast plate of Toga's armor, she showed no fear in front of the land's most powerful demon; her touch was so loving that is caused Sesshomaru's stomach to twist uncomfortably.

"I have told you before Izayoi, I would not be far; with your condition I must make my presence known so you are protected," Toga gently stroked the woman's cheek marveling at the softness and the beauty she possessed.

The woman known as Izayoi basked in the affection the demon was giving her still not believing how gentle he was being with her, "My father has given his word that no harm will come to me."

"You may believe him if you wish, but I know how easy it is for humans to lie; I will continue to remain on guard while you carry my pup."

At his father's words Sesshomaru nearly gave away his location to the two in the field, the younger dog demon was normally a stoic man having been taught by both his parents that emotions are a weakness, but seeing his father embrace the human female and speak about a pup she is caring he could barely leave the area before an angry and confused howl left his lips.

He didn't' know how long he ran but when he stopped and took in his surroundings he came to the conclusion that he was hundreds of miles away from the scene he had just witnessed. Not knowing what to do at the moment Sesshomaru let his nose guide him to the closest water source he could find; coming upon a beautiful crystal clear lake that was as wide and far as the eye could see he plopped down by the bank and tried to allow the tranquility of the area calm his raging blood.

But even with the fresh air and the calming sounds of the forest creatures scurrying about the woods at his back nothing could stop his mind from racing with the information he just acquired… his father had breed with a human. Just the thought alone twisted his stomach, all his life everyone told him humans were weak insignificant creatures whose only purpose was to keep demons both entertained and fed; his father never said it in so many words but Sesshomaru knew the old man's feelings towards human… or he thought he did.

While he was trying to wrap his head around all that he learned he picked up the presence of another familiar demon entering the clearing; Sesshomaru made no effort to acknowledge the other, feeling if the demon wished to be recognized he should speak first.

"I expected you to be farther away than this."

Sesshomaru heard the hesitation in his sire's voice while he tried to figure out how to address his son now; the whole situation made a sick chuckle leave the younger dog's lips. "It seems we are full of surprises today are we not… father," he had no problem getting across where he saw their relationship at this point, he would show his old man the respect he deserved as the current lord of the west but the relationship they shared as father and son for centuries was gone.

Sesshomaru felt his sire's aura rise slowly catching his attention causing him to stand and turn to face the older demon, "Your sarcasm is not needed my son," Toga knew the minute he scented his son in that clearing everything would change; he knew he couldn't keep his two worlds separate forever… but he had not wanted it to end up like this.

A deep growl left Sesshomaru's lips at his father's threat, "I assure you father I am being very serious, this situation you have been hiding must be fixed before others become aware."

"Situation?"

"If others heard you've rutted a human they will see you have weakened and try to take my birthright away," Sesshomaru made his own aura rise to equal his father's to show the other he was not intimidated by his power.

"I assure you pup, I am far from weak, no one will challenge me."

"Still this problem must be fixed," Sesshomaru's instincts were screaming at him, never had he had to deal with the thought that his birthright could be in danger since he had no siblings; he of course would never think to include the half breed abomination currently growing in the human wench's womb as his kin, but just the thought that out there soon would be a pup that had some claim to his father's lands caused his blood to boil and rage to fill him.

Sesshomaru ignored the dangerous level his father's aura reached as he made to pass the old dog and returned to where he last saw the human; from the way his father was embracing the female there was no possible way he would be willing to dispose of his mistake so it was up to Sesshomaru himself to gain back his sire's honor. His survival instinct kicked in when suddenly his father's arm shot out to grab his upper bicep tightly stopping him from leaving the field.

"Where do you think you're going pup," Toga's hiss alerted Sesshomaru of the danger he was in being so close to the other male; he quickly tore away from his father and leapt away from his person trying to get as much space between the two as possible.

At this distance Sesshomaru got a better look at his father's physical appearance since they began to speak; Toga's stance screamed protective as his eyes were a deep crimson color and his hair, despite being tied up, was fanned out by his powerful aura making him look larger than he actually was without transforming. He couldn't believe what he was seeing his father never, not even during his training as a pup, been this intense about fighting… he didn't know how to approach the situation; one part of him was telling him to submit to the alpha but the other was confused as to why he was being stopped at regaining his father's honor.

"The human cannot live father, if she bares that abomination into this world it will end us all; it will not take long to reach the ears of the panther tribe or another of our enemies and they will attack and to take the lands," Sesshomaru was trying to make the older dog see reason; this was not about some tryst with a human wench it would affect all those under the lord's protection.

Toga released a brutal roar that shook the ground and caused a flock of birds to flee from the nearby trees. "No one will go near Izayoi do you hear me… no one!"

Sesshomaru had never seen his father so passionate about anything before; but it was clear how blind the older dog was and it was up to the younger to stop this madness; seeing it was no use talking to his sire Sesshomaru made a break for it intending to reach the human settlement and kill the human before anyone became aware of his father's mistake. Over the years he had become quite fast and dare he say he could outrun his old man; he had full confidence that he could reach the human settlement before his father but he didn't take into account his father's will to protect his human and unborn pup.

Twenty miles from where the lake had been Sesshomaru sensed his father approaching fast; having no time to be shocked that he caught up Sesshomaru quickly transformed and met his father head on in the sky. This time there was no talking between the two, Sesshomaru had attempted to attack his woman and pup, Toga would stop at nothing to protect them.

Humans in the village closest to where the two large demons would claim they witness a fierce battle in the skies that day; the kami of the mountains and river nearby had sent their Inugami to do their bidding.

Both father and son twisted and turned in the sky trying to claw and snap at each other, they appeared equal in strength and power but stamina is what Sesshomaru lacked, being the younger of the two and not having experience in a long standing war he became tired quickly and let his guard down allowing his father a critical hit. Sharp pain shot through his body when his father tore into his shoulder and sank his fangs deep to the bone; it was pure instinct to remain alive that caused Sesshomaru to release a high pitch yelp to save himself.

The pained call of his pup snapped Toga from his rage induced haze and when he tasted blood on his tongue and realize he had his own pup between his jaws he immediately let go. Once released Sesshomaru, from the blood lose and his exhaustion, couldn't keep his dog form nor remain in the sky; he free fell from the air and crashed hard into a grove of trees causing a few to fall over due to the damage.

Toga watched as his son plummeted to the earth, the wound he inflicted was not fatal but he had never attacked his son so violently before; worry filled his being as he descended to check on the younger dog.

Once he regained his baring's Seshomaru found himself laying on a pile of broken trees with excruciating pain coming from his shoulder; feeling the blood rushing from the wound told him that he couldn't lay there forever, he needed to find a safe place to treat his injuries… injuries he gained from his sire. Sesshomaru pushed away the sting of betrayal for the second time that day caused by his own father to try and focus on his surroundings; to be in an area he was unfamiliar with and wounded was a dangerous situation for him.

Fighting against the headache that had begun to form do no doubt to when he collided with the tree trunk Sesshomaru took access of his wounds; the minor cuts and scratches would heal on their own within the hour, the broken hip and wrist he sustained from the crash would take a few more days to mend along with the bone deep gash in his shoulder.

When he touched down in the grass not far from the massive pile of damaged trees Toga feared the worst. Never… never had he, not even while training the pup when he was younger, attacked him so badly; as both a member of his pack and his own sire Toga had vowed never to harm a pup of his blood and yet now as he watched Sesshomaru limp away he didn't know how to fix this. "My son I… I don't know what came over me I-."

"Isn't it obvious my lord… you have chosen a human over your own clan," Sesshomaru sneered while trying not to allow the pain he was in come over in his voice; he was still in shock that his father attacked him over a human wench.

"Izayoi is not just a human Sesshomaru… you wouldn't understand," Toga didn't want to fight again with his son, with Sesshomaru's shoulder still heavily bleeding the concerned father in him wanted to get his pup somewhere safe to look at the wound himself; but he had a great fear, as he looked at the glare Sesshomaru give him, that the younger dog no longer would trust him nor let him get close.

"You are right I don't understand nor do I wish to; but what I know is that you allowed a human wench to seduce you into rutting with her and now she will bear an abomination into our world… a weak, disgusting half-breed that will probably die before it takes its first breath."

Toga bit back the growl trying to break free from his chest, the protective rage he felt for his unborn pup was far different than anything he felt before; the need to protect a pup was basic instinct but Toga presumed that since this particular pup would only be half demon and thus weaker than one with full demon blood, he would have to be stronger for this little one. "I will not allow you to threaten my pup Sesshomaru whether a half demon or not it will still be part of my clan."

"You think the others will acceptt it? If the humans don't kill it a demon surely will," Sesshomaru couldn't fight back the betrayal he was feeling over his father's words; it was almost as if the older dog was proud of the mess he created.

"I know those of our clan will not accept this pup, I know he will be an outcast to them but I am counting on you to help protect him."

Sesshomaru took a step back, and nearly tripped over a fallen tree, at what was practically just demanded of him; throughout his life his father expected many things from him and most of the time he could do what was asked… but not this. "I will not go near the half-breed, as I have said it should be killed so we may retain our honor; and when I attain my birth right I will see to it that everyone knows of my power."

"I know you desire to challenge me my son but I cannot allow you to defeat me now, I have too much at stake at this time and if I cannot rely on you than I must do it on my own which means I must remain strong and in control of the west."

Sesshomaru was shocked once again as Toga basically told him he would never claim the west for his own; the centuries of harsh training were all to waste as his father was choosing the life of an unborn half-breed over his own son.

Toga could see behind the shock on his son's face the hurt and pain he was feeling by his words; he knew the hard work and determination the pup put into his training, plus the encouragement he himself gave his son to achieve his goal… which made it all the harder to crush his dream and take it all away.

Feeling defeated and very tired from the fight, plus the blood loss from his wound, Sesshomaru turned away from his farther and lord intending to find shelter and figure out what to do next.

"Sesshomaru… I'm sorry."

The younger dog didn't know how to answer because those words cut deeper than his fangs had; not another word was spoken between the two as Sesshomaru took to the sky… little did either know this would one of the last times they would speak to each other.

* * *

Not knowing where else to go , and struggling to remain conscience with his wounds, Sesshomaru found himself heading in the direction of his mother's home; the two hadn't seen each other since he left with his father centuries before so there was no doubt Sesshomaru would get earful from the female.

"You look like death Sesshomaru, didn't your father teach you any manners while you were gone all this time; it's rather rude to just show up announced… an bleeding all over my good tatami also."

Sesshomaru ignored her ranting and weaved his way down the long corridors of the palace to his old room, he needed to rest so he could heal his wounds and then he would deal with her questions… and after he told her what had happened there was bound to be a lot.

Two weeks later when Sesshomaru was fully healed he emerged from his room a completely different demon, as a small pup he was naïve to the world and its betrayals, he thought he could simply get by and survive and then take over the west claiming his father's title for himself; but now an adult and far wiser than he was weeks before Sesshomaru knew all his foolishness in the past must be forgotten. Like many other demons he realized he must think only of himself and his wellbeing, he would think of nothing but gaining more power and when he was at his peak it strength he would forcefully take his birthright from his father before the whelp of a half-breed could take it from him.

A bitter taste came to his mouth when thinking of his sire, it was harder than he thought but Sesshomaru was able to convince himself that the demon he once knew as his father meant nothing to him now; choosing a half breed and his human wench over his own son hurt Sesshomaru more than any flesh wound ever could but no more would he worry about it… as far as he was concerned the lord of the west rutted with a female and he was born from that union nothing more.

With that resolve, putting his mind at ease, Sesshomaru took in a breath of fresh air; having lived on the land for the last few centuries and dealing with all the smells of both animal and human he never realized how much clearer the air was up here in his mother's home.

And speaking of his mother Sesshomaru knew she would be waiting for his explanation for why he was here and he knew that his last two weeks of peace would shortly be filled with annoying question and possibly death threats from the female.

"Oh I see you've finally decided to come out of your den huh? Did you really need to be in there that long? I was about to begin to complain about the stench… I thought you died in there." Even after such a long time away from each other the female that birthed him was still the cold hearted demon he remembered. She was sitting at a low table in the main room of the palace, a plate of no doubt sweets and a cup of tea were in front of her as she enjoyed the late afternoon breeze that came in through the open shoji not far from where she was sitting.

Sesshomaru ignored her comment and took up an empty spot at the table; once he was seated a servant came forth and placed a cup of tea in front of him. Not expecting to be served he turned to glare at the demon who dared approach him; the sea green eyes of the female servant widened when they locked with his own golden ones but the blush that spread across her cheeks was what confused him most.

"M-my apologizes m-my lord," the dog demon bowed low before quickly leaving the royals presence; when she scurried away Sesshomaru was able to take in the others in the room.

When he was a pup he didn't remember having many servants in the palace. His mother , being the picky demon that she was, was very difficult to please so she decided to have as little servants as possible because they were all incompetent in her eyes; the ones she did have knew everything about her and she could tolerate them. But now there seemed to be far more than ever walking about… and a great deal of the younger females were huddling in the far corner all seemingly giggle and stealing glances in his direction.

"What are you all doing, go find something to keep yourselves busy!" The lady of the palace snapped causing all the servants to quickly leave the room, "Do you see the disturbance you cause by dropping by… you would think they had never seen a male before."

Though he was confused by his mother's choice of words Sesshomaru was not going to ask if she would explain; travelling with the western lard and having his full focus on his training the dog prince never even thought about the opposite sex. Now don't misunderstand he did know what a female was for as it was his most basic instinct to one day breed and produce an heir; but not once in his travels did a female show any interest in him… not that he would pursued her anyway. In this last century when he started to transition from pup to adult and began puberty Sesshomaru noticed more females showing their interest in him, going through his first spring was hell, but he swore he would not be like his father; if he was to breed with a female and pup her then he would take her as his mate… but he had no intention of having that happen for a long time.

Now sitting in his mother's home even after all the servants left Sesshomaru could still get a whiff of the female servant's arousal; but he quickly ignored the discomfort of his body when he caught his mother's glare directed at him.

"Keep your lust under control son, I will not have you soiling my home nor my servants; you would be wise to remember what could come from a rutting and I will not look after any pups you may produce."

"I have no intention of breeding anytime soon… not with what I have discovered recently," Sesshomaru knew he could no longer drag out the news of the lord's betrayal to them and seeing his mother put down her tea and turn to him he knew he had her full attention.

"You never answered me when you arrived Sesshomaru, you were very badly wounded also… what happened?"

Just thinking about what transpired all those weeks ago angered the younger dog, "The lord has betrayed us."

"Those are heavy words pup; do you have evidence to back the claim up?"

Despite his mother's cold nature towards everyone, including him, Sesshomaru knew what he was about to say would hurt her which was something he did not take pleasure in, "I have witnessed him with a female… she is in the early stages of breeding." It was slight but Sesshomaru caught the suttle widening of her sharp eyes, a common indicator of her shock, but it was quickly wiped from her features when a snicker left her lips; seeing the fake joy on her face was very unconformable for his son.

"So he has tricked another foolish bitch into baring his seed; I would be cautious pup if he chooses a favorite you may lose your birth right."

"I assure you mother my place is secure; however… the female is not another demon."

The lady's laughter abruptly stopped and her eyes got as wide as her son has ever seen them; then a deep glare morphed her features into that of a fierce, scary demon that sent a chill up Sesshomaru's spine, "What do you mean she is not a demon?"

"I have seen her… she is a human from a southern village in his territory."

"A human huh… well I don't know why you're so worried, she will only live for less than one hundred years and then she will be gone; that is like blinking to us… it is just a phase."

Brushing this situation off as nothing was not an option and Sesshomaru knew that, "She will die yes, but the whelp she is carrying will not for some time. If it manages to survive to adulthood others will think our clan is weakening and they will attack."

"Do not worry my son; half breeds do not exist because humans don't want them to. Once the humans in her village find out she has rutted a demon they will kill her… that is just how it works. And if they don't there is no guaranty that the abomination will survive birth anyway."

"She has one thing on her side though, the lord will do anything to protect her," Sesshomaru rotated his shoulder that still ached from his serious wound weeks ago.

"That is why you were injured? The lord attacked you to protect this female… his own heir?"

Sesshomaru picked up on his mother's shock and rage at this new information, she may not have been an affectionate demon but she still could be protective when she wanted to. "I was trying to fix the mistakes he made however I could not reach the village the human came from before I was stopped… I was not strong enough to overpower the lord," Sesshomaru was not pleased to admit his faults it only showed that for the last four hundred years his father was holding out on his true strength.

Tired of her moody son or just trying to comprehend the information he bestowed upon her Sesshomaru wasn't sure but his mother stood and made her way out into the court yard to get fresh air and, though she knew it was impossible, try to get as far away from this knowledge as possible. Turning back to look at her son, a sneer came to her face seeing how depressed he looked over losing to his father, if she could rise up from the lord's betrayal of their clan and union than so could her pup. "The only way you will become stronger and claim what is your my son is if you work harder for it."

"There is no time for that now mother, the half-breed will be birthed before the winter; there is no possible way-."

"Then you find a way my son, use that brain I gave you; the lord's strength is not all he relies on or have you forgotten the great sword?"

Of course Sesshomaru knew of the great sword So'unga, the demon sword of hell, has been with the lord since before he became the ruler of the west. It was never told to him how the lord came to own the blade but it became useful when he over threw the previous lord… but he has never used the dreaded sword since then which always drew Sesshomaru's curiosity as to why he never saw the blade in battle. He once asked his father years ago why he didn't bring So'unga to life more often and the response he got was yet another riddle.

"Though powerful, my son, So'unga was once a demon itself and has a mind of its own; it is very tiring to force the sword to listen and every time it is used the one wielding it must give up a part of themselves to use its power. I am able to wield it yes but I am not strong enough to overpower who So'unga once was and take full control of the sword… that is not my destiny. And I must warn you, anyone who is not of full demon blood would be lost to the sword the minute they touch it."

Sesshomaru didn't understand why he was given that last bit of information because he was full demon as well; maybe if he had paid more attention than he wouldn't have missed the signs that the older demon was sniffing around human females later on.

Not wanting to think about the wench Sesshomaru put his focus on the sword that his sire obviously feared; he feared the power and destruction the sword could bring to this world and no doubt losing himself completely to the blade… thinking on it now the sword was too much of risk to try and use though the temptation was great; there had to be something else his father possessed that made him so strong. And then Sesshomaru remembered the other sword his father carried with him now, due to the fear he had over So'unga, the lord had gone to Totosai, that annoying old blacksmith demon, and had forged two other swords.

"Tetsusaiga." That was it, that was the answer and it had been in plain sight for years; though Toga never used So'unga any longer he brandished Tetsusaiga all the time for the past several months. It was obvious he favored that sword over the others and it required little to no strength to wield not to mention it could destroy one hundred demons with one swing… Sesshomaru had to possess that sword in order to claim the west.

* * *

**Author note: I'm sorry this took so long, like I said this chapter and the next since this is not finish yet is about Sesshomaru and how he became the demon he is in the present of Seeking the Future. And with all this stuff I have to come up with and remember from the manga/anime that is why it's taking so long.**

**And now for the long author note I promised in the beginning of the chapter: All the information I wanted to put in this chapter but couldn't because I really wanted this to focus on Sesshomaru's P.O.V will go here so please read.**

**1.) Sesshomaru's mother- She has no name in the manga/anime and though fans have dubbed her InuKimi I don't give her that name; honestly I don't think it stands up to who she is as a character so in my story she is simply referred to as Sesshomaru's mother or lady as her title of ruling the sky castle not the west.  
****  
2.) About her relationship with Toga, many believe it was a political mating between the two as it never shows how the two actually felt about each other; in the anime it expressed that Toga had some feelings towards the female as he instructed her to help Sesshomaru find his own way and she did seem to care for him but I believe their relationship could have started out rocky. In this story they never mated, Sesshomaru was basically the product of a well timed one night stand but Toga took responsibility for him and the female that bore him... but the two adults will never have a loving relationship.**

**3.) Sesshomaru's father- He didn't have a name either, but I read some where that the Takahashi-san was leaning towards the name of Toga for the character and that's the name I use for my stories.**

**4.) Inu yokai- When Sesshomaru is referring to this he's not talking about dog demons only, he's referring to all canine type demons, like when you would refer to the species 'Canidae'; he specifically refers to wolves though because like Inuyasha he does not believe that dogs and wolves are related. Basically it's his childhood naiveté mixed with his large ego.**

**5.) Sesshomaru's age- I don't know what everyone has thought about his age being a dog demon no one knows how long he could truly live without dyeing during a battle. I believe at the time Kagome first arrived in the feudal era he was around 750 years old. When Inuyasha was born he was around 500 and I fully believe that Inuyasha survived 200 years before beginning pinned to the tree. These two chapters span in the entire life time from when he was a pup to when after Naraku's death... that's a lot of centuries.**

**6.) It's not shown sadly but I wanted to express the strong bond Sesshomaru and Toga had during their time together in the chapter. Throughout the anime Seshomaru shows great anger towards his father over giving Tetsusaiga to Inuyasha; but I believe deep down he is hurt by his father's death and he simply is taking it out of his brother as a way to grieve. If you think about it Sesshomaru spent quite some time with his father as a young adult, as expressed in the 3rd movie, and then suddenly his life completely changes; his father has a human woman and a child he cares for greatly and then dies for them leaving Sesshomaru alone. In this chapter I'm trying to get across the bond the two dogs make as Sesshomaru grows and then the betrayal he feels by his father's decision to mate a human and have another child with her.**

**That's all I got for the note.**

**One other thing... I'm still looking for that story I described in the update I put up before... still can't find it if anyone can help. Also I have another new little one shot series I've been working on called 'His gifts' it's centered around Inu in different situations that involves him using his powers for one thing or another... if any one wants to check it out between me updating this story.**

**Thanks to:  
**Nyx MG  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
S0me18skittles  
Aiydan Warrior  
DemonChild94  
AriaBelikov  
FallenFan77  
**For reviewing... keep it up!**


	39. Sesshomaru's past and present part 2

**Don't own Inuyasha… cries .o.o.**

"Talking" _'Thinking'_… all that stuff

* * *

Many months had passed since Sesshomaru visited his mother; he didn't remain long at her home because many nights after he told her about what the lord had been doing she began to act strangely… well more strange than she normally was. She had her own wing in the palace and even if Sesshomaru's own room was on the other side of the castle he could still hear her nightly activities. Even though she claimed to not care about what the lord did with his time and the knowledge that the human was carrying his half breed pup didn't upset her, her actions towards everyone in the palace spoke otherwise.

During the day she was extremely hostile to anyone that spoke or was generally just around her, and at night she would leave the grounds for a few hours and return in the dead of night with a different male from who knows where; Sesshomaru didn't want to think about what she and her guest would do while in her chambers but it was stated before they were anything but quiet.

"You are losing control mother," Sesshomaru, though no longer a pup and far stronger than the female, was still extremely cautious about confronting her.

"Excuse me? I am losing control? How did you come to this conclusion Sesshomaru please do explain."

"You deny that you don't care what the lord has done yet your actions speak differently," Sesshomaru tensed when a loud unexpected cackle left his mother's mouth.

"You truly know nothing do you my son; I care not what he does or whom he breeds with, my actions are all my own. It is time that I think about myself rather than everyone else, the lord put you in my charge and I have done my duty faithfully; now that you are no longer a pup I may do as I wish with my life," she was still denying the real reason for her actions but it wasn't Sesshomaru's business nor did he care to push the matter any farther; however, he couldn't stand by and watch her act this way any longer… this was not befitting a female of her status.

Deciding that he could no longer watch his mother destroy herself Sesshomaru once again left the sky palace not knowing when or if he would ever return; he knew one thing though, the lord was responsible for the lady's behavior and as her son and the heir it was Sesshomaru's responsibility to the clan to fix what had been done.

Months passed and it was close to the time the human would birth, though he didn't desire to do so Sesshomaru was curious to see if she was still alive; but despite all this he would not set foot near the village he knew she lived in not wanting to stumble upon the lord that was sure to be protecting her.

During his travels the last couple months Sesshomaru heard rumors that the lord had been searching for him; what his father had done to their clan was unforgivable and Sesshomaru had no desire to speak with the older dog… he felt that if the lord wished to seek forgiveness that he should not bother because Sesshomaru wouldn't hear it. Thankfully the two never crossed paths but Sesshomaru was aware that his mother received a visit; since the palace and the land it was currently floating over wasn't destroyed he could only guess the two had been somewhat civil with their meeting. Knowing the lord was still looking for him Sesshomaru tried to stay out of the open and didn't remain in the same location for more than a few hours; maybe the lord would get the hint and stop following him. But while trying to stay away from his old man he stumbled upon the last person he wished to see.

* * *

While wondering through the forest close to the coast Sesshomaru came upon a caravan of human soldiers, seeing no point in interacting with them he was going to simply walk around their path since in the darkness of the woods they wouldn't be able to see or smell him; or so he thought but he stopped from leaving when the captain of the guard commanded the others to halt.

The human male had been standing near a large carriage with which Sesshomaru assumed was the reason for the soldiers in the first place; with his sharp hearing he could pick up a soft voice of a female and the scent that has caused all this mess.

"Are you certain of this my lady?"

"Yes, everything will be alright. Please go on ahead I will join you shortly."

"I don't feel comfortable with this, you don't know what it will do… and in your condition… your father will not be pleased that you have not arrived at the palace on time."

"My father wishes me not in my condition at all, that is why he has sent me away to give birth… a few more minutes will not do any harm… I will be safe." The female was adamant about the soldiers leaving her unprotected which drew Sesshomaru's curious nature… what did she have planned that she didn't want them around for?

Once the soldiers left the clearing, though they were simply out of eye sight since Sesshomaru could still smell them close by, the carriage's door slid completely open and an elderly woman stepped out. "Hime-sama, I must insist that you not do this… we must go to the palace immediately."

Shortly after her departure from the carriage the princess that they all were fretting over stepped out, just seeing her again after so many months made the demon sneer. It would appear that the lord's human wench had indeed survived so far carrying the half breed, her father nor the others from her village had decided to kill her for laying with a demon; Sesshomaru had hoped they would do away with the problem but the lord must have done something to protect her.

"Izayoi-sama, please do not leave the safety of the carriage!"

The old woman pleaded but the younger woman gently waived her hand with a smile, "Do you think he will approach with so many humans around? I wish to speak with him before I am locked away… it is very important."

Sesshomaru thought they were talking about his father, but he himself couldn't smell him nearby, and if he was to appear the younger dog didn't want to be around when he did show. He was just about to turn and leave when the human looked in his direction causing him to stop, she couldn't possibly see him because he was too deep in the dense woods, but it did annoy him that she seemed to know exactly where he was; and with her gaze on him told Sesshomaru that it was actually him the group of humans had been talking about… and if that was true why would this human want to talk to him?

Watching her disappear into another smaller clearing away from the old woman and no doubt waiting for him, Sesshomaru was half tempted to just leave her waiting, there were a few large lizards not far from that location and hopefully the two would cross paths; but of course it wouldn't go that way as the lizards found other prey and moved out of the area. Though the other demons had different plans Sesshomaru had still decided to leave without encountering the human; but like many other strange things that were happening today something was pulling him in the direction of that clearing… knowing there was no point in trying to fight it Sesshomaru allowed the feeling to guide him.

Slowly he approached the open clearing caution as to what was waiting for him there, though he doubted a breeding human could do much to him, he was still hesitant to enter without knowing what was there first. There wasn't much to observe once in the circle of trees, a few small rocks lay on the ground and the human was sitting against the only boulder in the area which seemed odd in itself.

"Your father isn't here Sesshomaru-sama, I am certain he is out scouring the land looking for you… he is very-."

"What the lord and this Sesshomaru do is not your concern human," Sesshomaru had no interest in what the female had to say, nor to know where the location of his sire was at this moment as long as he wasn't close by; with the human being possibly weeks away from giving birth the lord would be in a very crazed state should another male be close to her. That thought in mind Sesshomaru looked around again in search of the older dog; there was no way he would be out of ear shot with her in this condition.

"He cares greatly for you Sesshomaru-sama… you're his son," the glare the demon gave her caused Izayoi to once again be silent, she knew the danger she was putting herself and her unborn child in but she would do anything for the man she loved.

Months ago when her lord returned to her side after abruptly leaving she could see the pain he was in; it only took a little probing on her part to find out that he had attacked his son. He was beside himself in grief with what he'd done and she knew he wanted to go find to the boy but was forcing himself to remain at her side. Izayoi knew of the life he had before they met she knew he had a son that he cherished greatly and she promised to never interfere with their relationship; and so with a heavy heart she told him to go and make sure his son was okay.

Toga was adamant that he stay with her but he couldn't push away the worry that his pup was hurt; he made his decision to leave temporarily to make sure his heir was alright but not before scarring all the humans in his mate's village that if something happened to her or their pup he would kill them all. Having the lord's word that no harm would come to either Toga left in search of Sesshomaru, Izayoi wasn't left alone for long as the lord returned a few days later to tell her that his son had made it safely to his mother's palace; he would leave a few times a month trying to get a hold of the boy to apologize for what had happened between them but so far he had been unable to track his son down. Low and behold Izayoi would bump into the younger dog first and so she was going to try and pass the message on and hopefully mend the bond between father and son, but at the rate this conversation was going and the fact that Sesshomaru didn't seem to want to hear what she had to say it was going to be harder than she thought.

"You know he has been looking for you to make sure you were alright."

"What his concern is does not concern me," Sesshomaru glared at the female, wishing she would stop with the mindless chatter about his sire and get to the point as to why she wanted to really speak with him; if all she wanted was to tell him how his sire wished to speak with him than she was wasting his time because he wouldn't.

"I know the lord attacked you and he wishes to make amends but I won't ask you to visit him because I know you won't listen to me. I know you do not like me because I am a human, nor are you pleased that I am carrying the lord's son," Izayoi placed her hand on her rounded stomach as if she was protecting her child from his older brother's heated glare. "The lord told me how protective dog demons are over their lands; I can assure you my son will be no threat to your birthright."

At this claim Sesshomaru released a scuff of air; it was slightly amusing that she thought the abomination in her womb would ever be strong enough to over throw him. Izayoi flinched at the sound he made knowing why he did so, what she had said was foolish and it did hurt her somewhat to know it was true.

When the lord had first told she was carrying his child she had been extremely happy but seeing the look on his face apparently he wasn't feeling the same way. When she asked if he was angry about the news he was quick to reassure her that he too was happy with the news but then he went to explain the hard life their child would have; he didn't want to crush her happiness but he had to warn her of what they would face… knowing the odds were greatly against them put everything in perspective and it was the reason she had wished to speak with the lord's first son more than trying to mend the bond.

"I know… my son will have a very hard life, my father claims that should anything happen to me he would care for his grandson but I know that is a lie, despite the kindness and understanding I've shown to everyone in my village I know not one of them would show the same kindness to my son… that is why I wanted to speak with you."

Sesshomaru stopped listening to the human a while ago but when she mentioned the reason for her wanting him here he gave her half his attention once more.

"I know I have no right to ask anything of you, and I know I am the reason for you fighting with your father, I never wanted any of that; I know what will happen to my son when I die… I know my lord will do everything he can to keep our son safe but I feel something will happen to prevent him from doing so."

"Hn, I would stop your whimpering there human as I already know what you will beg of me… and my answer is the same when the lord asked nearly eight moons ago… I will have nothing to do with the half breed. If I had my way both you and that abomination would have already been dead; but seeing as the lord stopped me that night I will not try again... yet. You say he is not here but I can smell him on the wind and he would be here faster than it would take for me to kill you now… I have no interest in dying yet. As for your request I will do nothing to help, that whelp is not my responsibility nor will it ever be," Sesshomaru turned to leave, not caring about the state the human was in, but something caused him to stop, something he missed when he first walked into the clearing.

"Sesshomaru please wait!" Izayoi pushed off the boulder she had been resting against to possibly reach out and stop him; she had to get him to listen to her.

But the minute she moved away the ground began to shake drawing her attention back to where she was just standing. It turns out the boulder wasn't actually a real rock at all, it was a small but still dangerous mountain ogre that wasn't too happy its meal moved away before it could spring its trap. "Human, you bare the scent of dogs, if I can eat the wench and half breed spawn of the great dog my tribe will welcome me back," the ogre began to wrestle itself out of the ground to make an attempt at the human princess.

It happened like lightening and before Izayoi could react the ogre was completely disintegrated to ash by the poison whip that extended from Sesshomaru's out stretched hand. Sesshomaru himself was shocked at what he had just done, he clearly had not been thinking because if he had he would have simply let the other demon kill the human as it wanted to rather than stop it. He quickly retracted his whip and turned to finally leave the clearing knowing he needed some where quiet to think about what just happened and he wouldn't be able to do that in front of the human female he despised more than any other.

"You… you saved me, thank you Sess-." Izayoi was fearful to see the demon charging at her, she thought without Toga there she would die, never did she think his son would save her; once the demon was gone and she felt safe again Izayoi turned to thank the young dog but he too had vanished knowing he was probably miles away she did not pursue him and simply returned to her carriage where the soldiers quickly encircled her checking for any signs of being attacked; Izayoi calmed them quickly and the group was again on their way to the palace they mentioned earlier.

* * *

Despite what Izayoi thought Sesshomaru actually wasn't that far away, he was standing on the beach trying to figure out why he had saved the human, the waves lapping at his feet did help calm his racing mind and allow him to think more clearly but he still couldn't figure out why his body would react like that.

"You saved them my son… I am truly grateful." While trying to gain his bearings Sesshomaru completely missed when his sire landed gently on the sand a few feet away from him.

"Hn," Sesshomaru hadn't seen his old man since their fight and he still didn't want to see or speak to him, he turned from the view of the ocean to once again take off but Toga stopped him.

"I want to speak with you pup and I will not take no for an answer."

"We have nothing to discuss," Sesshomaru tried to make his way around the older dog but Toga once again blocked his path.

"I know you are angry with me my son, I lost myself during our last encounter and I wish to ask for your forgiveness for attacking you… you have no idea the pain I was in knowing I may have killed you."

Sesshomaru's gaze on his father hardened as fury rose through his body; the weakness the older dog was showing just by asking for forgiveness made him sick because Sesshomaru knew this was not his father… the human and whelp did this to a once powerful demon.

"You have become weak and it is only a matter of time when I will claim my birthright," Sesshomaru's eyes drifted down to his father's sword at his waist.

Tetsusaiga, the sword that can slay one hundred demons in one swing and one of the main reasons his father has remained the lord for the west for nearly a millennia… Sesshomaru knew he must obtain that sword to claim his rightful place as lord.

Toga was no fool, if he was he wouldn't have lived as long as he has, so when he saw his pup eyeing his sword a sigh of disappointment left him, "Power is not everything pup. In time yes you will claim your birthright but what will come after?"

Sesshomaru had already been asked this question by his mother many years ago so he was ready this time, "There is no time to rest, nor to think about anything other than keeping what is mine." Sesshomaru didn't care what his sire's reaction was to his answer but he was tired of talking; luckily this time Toga allowed him to pass without a fight. Before Sesshomaru reached the tree line and could completely leave the area Toga spoke again causing him to stop.

"Tell me Sesshomaru… if you have nothing to protect then why did you protect Izayoi from that ogre just now… she is not your mate."

Sesshomaru tensed at the mention of mate; it still angered him that this human somehow was honored with the title that should be his mother's. "I don't know why I reacted; allowing it to kill the human would have not affected me… I will not make the same mistake should the opportunity come up again," Sesshomaru then took to the sky not wishing to be stopped again; but with this encounter he had made a decision… the next meeting with his sire would take his birthright.

That meeting did occur less than a month later, Sesshomaru had heard his father was in a great battle with the dragon Ryūkotsusei and had been weakened; he wasn't pleased to fight his father when he was only at half power but he was determined to win. Their battle was not to be though, when he arrived Toga had asked once again if he had someone to protect and Sesshomaru's answer was the same; Sesshomaru demand a challenge and for once Toga granted it but not before seeing his pup for the first time as he would be born this night.

Sesshomaru was not happy to wait, he had been waiting for this day for nearly a century, but there wasn't much he could do because should he refuse his sire's focus would not be completely on their battle and that's what he demanded; Sesshomaru wanted to prove to his father that all his training and hard work was worth something… he allowed his father to leave with his word that they would have their match come sunrise.

Little did Sesshomaru know that this would be the last time he ever saw his father alive; he would also fall into his birthright as the lord's first born son but Sesshomaru didn't wish to claim it by his father's death at another's hand.

Sesshomaru himself did not find out about his father's death until a moon cycle later; he had been in search of his sire when the older dog did not return that morning for their battle. He went to the castle he saw the human caravan heading to months before thinking his father was still with the human and the whelp; he was surprised to be greeted with nothing but rubble of the destroyed palace… it was obvious a great battle had happened not long ago. He went in search of his sire thinking the dog would move the human to a safe place and remain with her as his instincts would demon of him with a newborn pup; but Sesshomaru found the woman back in her village in her father's care and no sign of his own.

It just didn't make sense, there was no possible way the lord would just leave the human and pup back in their village without any type of protection… not with what happened at the other human palace. The last time he spoke with his father Sesshomaru could feel the rage the other dog had for the human lord of this village; he would never willing allow the woman to go back to his protection… not unless the older dog demon was hurt somewhere nearby.

Sesshomaru remained close to the human settlement, his father would not be far away during this time but if he was injured there would be no point trying to hunt him down because he would be very well hidden. During the time there he quickly learned the mannerisms of all the humans that lived in the palace; his main focus being the woman and her young pup.

Judging by the scent Sesshomaru determined she birthed a son as his father stated months better, his instinct told him to be cautious around the pup as he should be a threat to Sesshomaru when he came of age… if he wasn't a half demon.

One night while the female was asleep Sesshomaru snuck in to observe the pup; though he recognized the pup as pack do to his father's blood the human in the child did not sit well with his nose. And though their appearance was similar as they both had the lord's silvery mane of hair and golden eyes that was where it ended; just looking at the two flaps of skin atop the baby's head was a mockery to the full dog demon's heritage… every fiber in his being told him to just kill this pup now and save his clan from disgrace. He had been standing in the room for quite some time so if his father was nearby in hiding he most likely would have already attacked Sesshomaru for being so close to the pup… now was the perfect opportunity to finish what he tried to do months ago.

Sesshomaru was just about to reach into the crib where the pup lay sleeping, his claws glowing with a poison that could melt anything; when across the room the human princess shifted in her bedding; Sesshomaru would never admit that he became frightened by her movement but he quickly brushed the feeling away and turned back to the pup he was about to kill. But it turns out that he was not the only one startled by her movement, gold met gold and Sesshomaru couldn't believe how much the pup truly resembled the lord… so caught up in observing the pup he nearly missed when the woman woke completely. Thankfully his speed kept him from being caught, standing just outside of the garden by her window Sesshomaru watched as the female rose from her bedding and made her way over to the pup; the woman didn't go back to sleep that night so Sesshomaru couldn't enter.

Over the next few days Sesshomaru paid more attention to the pup, he couldn't figure out what it was about the weak little thing but after the time spent Sesshomaru deemed the half demon no threat to the clan and with his mother being human it would grow in their world and have nothing to do with his… unless his father brought the whelp into the clan.

And speaking of his sire Sesshomaru had spent nearly a full moon around the humans and yet no sigh of his father, something was not right because even near death it would not take the lord this long to recover; it was obvious now the older dog was not here, maybe he came to his senses and returned to the sky palace, thinking this to be true Sesshomaru prepared to leave… only to be stopped when overhearing the human and her sire speaking in her garden.

"You have lied to me my daughter; you said the demon was gone."

"What are you speaking of father? My lord is gone; I told you he perished in the fire while protecting Inuyasha and myself." Sesshomaru couldn't believe his own ears, there was no possible way what she said was true.

"Inuyasha, you gave it a name? If the beast is dead then why are you still under his spell daughter?"

"I was never under any spell… I love him father."

"It was a demon, the beasts don't care for anything but themselves; he has tainted you and made you bare his spawn! If you kill that thing now I am certain I can still find you a decent husband that will not care of your past… if only Takemaru hadn't fallen to the beast he would have taken you."

"T-Takemaru!? He is the reason my lord is dead! He tried to kill my son while I birthed him… if my lord hadn't arrived I would be dead now."

Sesshomaru didn't wait to hear the rest of their conversation; he took off in search of the only demon who would know what really happened, the cowardly flea demon Myoga.

* * *

But searching for the flea would be quite a difficult task itself, Myoga was never known to stay in one place for very long especially if he had no larger demon to protect him. The last time Sesshomaru had even sensed the little blood sucker was the night he last spoke with his father, he highly doubted Myoga would have gone to the human palace with the lord if he knew the danger that would be there; and with it being a full moon cycle later he could be anywhere within the western lands at this point. Sesshomaru changed tactics instead looking for a demon he knew would remain in one place, the very demon that forged his father's swords.

Totosai lived in a cave right beside an active volcano, the sulfur smell in the air normally kept demons with sharp senses away… luckily Sesshomaru knew how to counter act the nauseating smell and keeping himself from fainting. Unfortunately after all this upon arrival to the cave Sesshomaru saw no sign of the old demon smith; some rattling in the back of the back of the cave drew his attention but when Totosai's apprentice came around the corner he quickly lost interest.

"What do you want? Totosai ain't here." When the master told him he would be out for a short time Kaijinbo wasn't expecting any visitors.

Sesshomaru chose to ignore the imp's rudeness since the creature was clearly no match for him, "Where has he gone?"

"How the hell should I know? That old man don't tell me anything, been his apprentice for nearly a century and he's barely showed me how to smelt properly."

Growing tired of the little demon's attitude towards him, and believing the apprentice was hiding something, Sesshomaru flicked his poison whip at Kaijinbo slashing his boney cheek and causing him to jump back in pain.

Kaijinbo rubbed his cheek to get the sting out before looking back at the larger demon; he quickly lost the curse he was going to spew when he got a better look at just who had entered the cave. Though Sesshomaru only met Kaijinbo once when he was a few decades younger the imp demon knew the reputation the dog prince had acquired over these many years since.

"My l-lord… what brings you here?" Kaijinbo bowed deeply and then quickly scurried to make a decent place for him to sit, like Sesshomaru ever would sit in this dirt hole of a home, then the imp dug around for the jug of sake he stashed away; normally he wouldn't share with anyone but this particular demon he would make an exception.

Sesshomaru would never share a drink with one clearly lower in status than himself; he merely wanted to know where Totosai disappeared to. "Where is the demon smith?"

"Like I said before I don't know, he just told me he had business in the south… some human palace or something and I haven't seen him since."

Sesshomaru was now becoming annoyed, it was clear that every demon who served his father was avoiding him for one reason he was unwilling to admit… the lord of the west, his father, was indeed dead.

Since both Totosai and Myoga were obviously trying to stay away from him he sought the demon tree Bokuseno, the very tree in which his father had carved both Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga scabbards; the tree was very loyal to his father and probably the only vassal Sesshomaru truly wasn't annoyed by or wanted to kill. He had met the tree centuries before while in search of his father, who had run off again; Sesshomaru had followed his father's sent to the large tree and was quite surprised when it spoke to him. He came to the tree for advice on several occasions where his father was concerned and Bokuseno was normally helpful… except the time a few months ago when Sesshomaru came to ask about his father's odd behavior and interest in the human woman, the wise old tree was unable to answer.

Now as Sesshomaru made his way through the forest where Bokuseno was rooted he was hoping one of the other cowardly vassals had stopped by to give news about his father; Bokuseno would intern tell him due to his loyalty. But when the dog prince arrived his questions where halted by the tree's appearance; a nail was pierced just above Bokuseno's face, though it didn't appear to be causing him any pain, and hanging from the nail by a string was a plank with his name and a sword.

"What is the meaning of this Bokuseno?"

"Well you see lord Sesshomaru, Totosai appeared a few days ago and told me to give this to you. It would seem the Great General has gone to the next world… I am terribly sorry young lord."

So it was indeed true what the human woman said, his father was dead… died for the lives of a human and her half demon whelp. The rage coursing through Sesshomaru's body was like nothing he had ever felt before; his whole life of training was for nothing now, with his father dead there was no one to challenge for the title of the west… it was his right to take his father's life no one else's.

Sesshomaru looked to the gift that was left to him and a frown marred his perfect features, "There must be some mistake Bokuseno, that sword is the Tenseiga… surely I was meant to receive the Tetsusaiga or even S'ounga." His father knew for some time that his son wished to have his most powerful sword as his own, and he would need it when he became the lord, so why would the weakest of the three be presented to him?

"No my lord, Totosai gave me strict orders that your father bequeathed this sword to you… neither Tetsusaiga or the dread S'ounga were mentioned nor did he have them with him."

"This is not possible," Sesshomaru couldn't believe what was hearing, not only was he unable to gain his birthright with honor but he was denied the very swords that would allow him to keep his title; what good would a sword be if it could not cut down his enemy. "What right does the smith have to decide whom will have the Tetsusaiga, there is no one else who is capable of wielding it. Where is that cowardly Myoga, surely he will know where it has been hidden." Sesshomaru turned from Bokuseno now more determined to find the flea then ever before.

"Um… my lord, the sword?" If Bokuseno could make any type of facial expression he would surely be raising his eye brows right now gesturing to the nail in his forehead.

"What of it? I have no use for a sword that cannot cut."

"But my lord, surely if your father left it to you it must have some importance… perhaps something your father said to you?"

The last conversation between him and his father flashed through his mind but Sesshomaru quickly pushed it away as foolishness and a lot of blood loss on his father's end… it meant nothing. But even though he told himself countless times before Sesshomaru still could not shake the question from his mind completely; before he realized what he was doing Tenseiga was already in his grasp. Not to be made a fool of twice in one day, but trying to hang the sword back on Bokuseno, Sesshomaru merely placed the useless sword at his hip but vowed to never have need for it; just because it was obvious his father wanted him to find something meaningful enough to protect doesn't mean he would actually do it.

Years passed and luckily Sesshomaru heard nothing of the human and her child, they could have died one winter and he would have been none the wise, he had his own dealings to worry about them focusing on human matters. His mother was right many centuries ago about him defending his birthright, upon hearing of the Great Dog's death the west fell into an uproar, several strong demons tried to steal Sesshomaru's title from him but they were not strong enough to kill him; finding no challenge among these foes Sesshomaru became restless in search of someone that would keep his interest for more than one battle… no one seemed to be able to meet that challenge.

While all this was going on Sesshomaru was still in search of his father's two swords though he focused more on Tetsusaiga than S'ounga, rumor had begun to spread that the mighty sword had resurfaced where no sign of S'ounga had been mentioned in nearly five years; the young lord still could find no trace of Myoga which irritated his to no end since he could not obtain the information he sought.

Once the west settled again and no demon disputed his claim as the ruler Sesshomaru, though not wishing to do so, returned to the palace where his father died… it was the last location he had known Myoga to be at. Even after only such a short period of time the remnants of the human palace were barely noticeable, after a few harsh winters the wood boards that once made up the grounds were nothing but ash now and despite the heat of the fire that took down the palace grass had already begun to grow on the once bare ground… in about a decade this area would be nothing but an open field and centuries from now no one would know that the land's greatest demon died here. Not far from the site of the battle Sesshomaru spotted an upturn stone in a small grove of what would someday be a grove of bamboo approaching the odd object a sneer came to his face when realizing what it truly was, appearing some of the humans that had escaped the fire that night had returned to pay their respects to the male human that fought his father; they must have found his remains and buried them here in loyalty to him… the stone was strong and would last centuries if undisturbed which only angered him farther.

Sesshomaru had just decided to have one of the servants from his mother's palace build some type of memorial on the grounds to honor his father as well, in respect to his lordship and nothing more and since it didn't seem that the human woman who held his father's attention for so long had done anything, when movement from the closest bush caught his attention.

A small pup no more than a few years old tumbled out of the bush a minute later followed closely by a very familiar human woman. "Inuyasha, my sweet prince, what happened? Did you fall?"

Sesshomaru watched the woman scoop the child into her arms, though the pup's attention was fully locked on him now; Sesshomaru himself couldn't take his eyes off the pup he hadn't seen in five years… his father's second son.

* * *

**Note: The chapter is raw and I need to go back a fix some mistakes, but my laptop is not agreeing with me right now so I'll do it later once I smack some sense into it.**

**If you noticed this is not the end of Sesshomaru's story, I wanted to get it all completed here but if that was to happen it would take a few more weeks if not months to get out... I've running a little behind if you can tell. So instead of Sesshomaru's whole life being only two chapters it is going to be three, the next chapter hopefully shouldn't take as long since I'm going to skip most of what happened in manga/anime and just focus on what Sesshomaru was doing when we couldn't see him and what he was feeling during my other story 'Seeking power' and the beginning of this story. There will be a small part involving what happened here at the end of this chapter and small pieces as Inuyasha grows up, mostly based on what happened in the anime... but that shouldn't take too long... hopefully.**

**Second note: Sesshomaru's new title for his father- After the battle between father and son in the last chapter, and Toga wounding Sesshomaru, the younger dog has lost respect for his sire; as a small pup Sesshomaru idolized his father for his strength, but seeing this side of his old man and the fact that he chose the human over his own son. With this happening Sesshomaru no longer give Toga the title of father when speaking to him, if he does it is in distain and a mocking tone even though he believes the lord no longer deserves the title for betraying him. Now Sesshomaru will still sometimes refer to the lord as father but never to his face, in someway he believes refusing to call Toga father out loud hurts the older demon; but he will call Toga father when alone or thinking as we've seen in the anime.  
Now that doesn't mean he won't continue to refer to Toga as the lord, by pack law Toga is still the alpha of the clan and Sesshomaru would respect that until he overthrew his father and became the alpha himself... not that he got he chance to do that.**

**Thanks to:  
**Sukai Skye  
Inuyasha-loves-Hanyou-Kagome  
AriaBelikov  
FallenFan77  
BlackR0seBud  
Ldsprincess  
extremeracer19  
Aiydan Warrior  
fanficnewbiee  
DemonChild94  
**For reviewing... lov'em... keep up!**


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